Mark 12:29-30 "Dependence, Delight, Devotion"

One day, the Bible tells us, someone came up to Jesus and asked which religious practice was the most important of all.  In the book of Mark, chapter 12, verses 29 & 30, Jesus answered:

          “The greatest one is, ‘Hear, O Israel. The Lord our God is one Lord.
 Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Love him with all your soul. Love him with all your mind. And love him with all your strength.’”

        

         Then Jesus went on to say what the second greatest law was.  He said, “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ No law is greater than these laws.”

        

         Real Christianity isn’t about practicing religion –it’s about living in right relationship –right relationship with God and right relationship with each other.  That’s the main thing.  And you know what?  That’s a radically different agenda than the rest of the world lives by.  I was trying to come up with a way to sum up in a simple way what this relationship thing is all about.  And I came up with three words. 

         The words are dependence, delight, and devotion.  I think these three words sum up what’s at the root of a right relationship with God.

         Dependence: God wants me to live as if my very existence depends on Him because, well –it does.  Apart from God I am weak and unable to be the person I want to be –I’ve tried –and failed.  I can’t love my wife like she deserves.  I can’t love my children like they deserve.  I can’t love you like you deserve.  Apart from God, my life stinks.  That’s the truth.

         So, a right relationship with God begins with my understanding and acknowledging my dependence on God.  And, if my relationship with God is out of whack, my relationships with other people are too –Apart from God I am self-centered and prideful and all kinds of other bad things that I really don’t want to go into, but suffice it so say that apart from God, my relationships with other people suffer.  Right relationships depend on God.

         Delight:  God doesn’t just want me to depend on Him –He also wants me to enjoy Him.  A right relationship with God leads to enjoyment.  And right relationships with others –particularly with other Believers –leads to the most meaningful, wonderful, sweet times we can have this side of heaven.  There are no better friendships that those based on a mutual delight in God.  So, right relationships are all about delight.  Take delight in God –and in each other.

        Devotion:  Dependence and delight naturally lead to devotion.  It’s not a burden to submit to Jesus and devote myself to Him –it’s a blessing.  And although I know that the idea of submitting to and being devoted to God is a hard one for unbelievers, devotion is not a bad thing it’s a good thing.

         And, in fact, as I was thinking about this, it struck me that everyone of us  –everyone in the world is devoted to something.  Some people are devoted to themselves or their families or their jobs –but we’re all devoted to something.  And everyone takes delight in something.  Some take delight in hobbies, or the pursuit of pleasure –some even take delight in evil.  And everyone is dependent upon something.  Some are depending on their money or their talents or their looks –all of us –every one of us is depending on something, delighting in something, and devoted to something.  There is no way around it.  And there is no way around that most of what people are depending upon and delighting in and devoted to are temporary and unfulfilling.  Not only don’t they satisfy very well, but they are passing away.

         It makes sense to me to consciously devote myself to, depend upon and delight in the eternal instead of the temporary.  I choose to walk in right relationship with God.  Not simply a religion –but a real relationship with a real God.  As for me, I’m following Jesus.