F aith in God and hope in his promises strengthens us in the love of God. They are essential for a good relationship with God, for being united with him. The more we know of God the more we love him and the more we love him the greater we believe and hope in his promises.

Friday of the Third Week in Lent

Hosea 14:2-10

Psalm 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17

M ark 12:28-34 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which  commandment is the first of all?" (29) Jesus answered, "The first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; (30) and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' (31) The second is this, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (32) And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; (33) and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much  more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." (34) And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely , he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God ." And after that no one dared to ask him any question.

Meditation by Don Schwager

H ow does love and obedience to God’s law go together? The Pharisees prided themselves in the knowledge of the law and their ritual requirements.  They made it a life-time practice to study the six hundred and thirteen precepts of the Old Testament along with the numerous rabbinic commentaries. They tested Jesus to see if he correctly understood the law as they did. Jesus startled them with his profound simplicity and mastery of the law of God and its purpose. What does God require of us? Simply that we love as he loves! God is love and everything he does flows from his love for us. God loved us first and our love for him is a response to his exceeding grace and kindness towards us. The love of God comes first and the love of neighbor is firmly grounded in the love of God. The more we know of God's love and truth the more we love what he loves and reject what is hateful and contrary to his will.

What makes our love for God and his commands grow in us? Faith in God and hope in his promises strengthens us in the love of God. They are essential for a good relationship with God, for being united with him. The more we know of God the more we love him and the more we love him the greater we believe and hope in his promises. The Lord, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, gives us a new freedom to love as he loves. Do you allow anything to keep you from the love of God and the joy of serving others with a generous heart? Paul the Apostle says: hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Romans 5:5). Do you know the love which conquers all?

"We love you, O our God; and we desire to love you more and more. Grant to us that we may love you as much as we desire, and as much as we ought. O dearest friend, who has so loved and saved us, the thought of whom is so sweet and always growing sweeter, come with Christ and dwell in our hearts; that you keep a watch over our lips, our steps, our deeds, and we shall not need to be anxious either for our souls or our bodies. Give us love, sweetest of all gifts, which knows no enemy. Give us in our hearts pure love, born of your love to us, that we may love others as you love us. O most loving Father of Jesus Christ, from whom flows all love, let our hearts, frozen in sin, cold to you and cold to others, be warmed by this divine fire. So help and bless us in your Son." (Prayer of Anselm, 12th century)

Supplementary Reading

Moving With the Cloud

{xtypo_quote} Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. ~ Numbers 9:21b {/xtypo_quote} 

G od brought the Israelites out of Egypt , and they had to pass through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. God was their guide by means of a cloud that appeared overhead. When it moved, they moved. When it stopped, they stopped - sometimes a day, a week, even a year. 

Imagine living with the uncertainty of this situation. One day you work at getting your "house" in order, only to have to pick up the stakes and move. Your ability to plan is totally gone. But even greater is the temptation to move when the cloud did not move because you felt it was time to move. For the Israelites, perhaps the grass was no longer green. Perhaps the water was not easily accessible. Perhaps the bugs were a problem. Whatever the case, they were strictly prohibited from moving if the cloud did not move. 

It is still the same today. We are not to move unless the Holy Spirit instructs us to do so. We are not to make that business deal on the basis of whether or not it makes sense, but on the leading of the Holy Spirit's "cloud" in our life. It is a difficult process to move only when we are directed, and to remain if we are not.  

The pressure is always upon us to move, to plan, to act. But if we act, we may move into a place where the presence of God may not be. Hence, the rub. The Christian workplace believer must learn to move when God says move; it is a sign of complete surrender and dependence on God's Spirit to direct our steps. 

Ask God today if you are sitting under His cloud. Or, have you moved when He said stand still? He will show you.  -- OS Hillman