The Daily List

It's 4 am and the daily yellow post-it note has been started:  "Expense report, paint, vet."   We live in such a distracting world with so much to remember I often forget my primary tasks.  At the office I use bullet points on my calendar to focus on the goals for the day. Mark 12: 28-34 gives me my bullet points for every single day of my life!

Jesus was in the midst of a debate with some religious leaders.  One of the teachers of the law noticed how well Jesus was handling the debate and asked  "Of all the commandments which is most important?"  (There were lots of commandments! The religious of Jesus' time were masters at creating lists and rules for daily living just like we are today.)

Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:4-5- Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength- and Leviticus 19:18 - Love your neighbor as  yourself.   The teacher of the law agreed with Jesus and gave the application as well- Loving God with all your heart, mind and strength and loving your neighbor is more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Later in Deuteronomy God tells the Israelites to write the words in Deuteronomy 6 on their hearts and doorposts and to make sure their kids knew these words.  The people have a practice to have these words written on tiny pieces of paper and placed in a container called a Mezuzah and affixed to their door frames.  Coming and going they will see the reminder of those most important words.

I don't have a Mezuzah on my doorpost although somewhere in a box I have one I bought in Israel!  I do have some reminders hanging on my wall that are more permanent than post-it notes.

I just reread my paragraph and realized I left out the most important point- "Hear O Israel The Lord our God, the Lord is one." 

            God is The One.

                        The One and Only.

                                    The Number One.

                                                The Point.

                                                            The Reason for daily living.  

                                                                        There is No Other so don't get distracted.

Everything after "The Lord is one" is the action plan, how to put this mission statement into practice in daily life and the result.  Loving God with all passion, intelligence and energy (as it says in The Message) or with all my thinking, time and talk as I journaled years ago in my Deuteronomy notebook.  If we love God with everything in  us, we will love our neighbors and others will see the greatness of God.  That's why we're here to show others how great God is!

Loving God completely is more important than deeds and works. Loving God and living for God is more important than rules and lists.  These verses and the stuff on my walls remind me to focus on The Point- God is The One, there is no other.  It's written on my walls so today I strive to write it on my heart.

Today is not about what I do but about what I am because of the I AM.