<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 12;28-30<div><br></div><div><b>28. &nbsp;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?”</b></div><div><b>29. &nbsp;Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear,&nbsp;O&nbsp;Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one;</b></div><div><b>30. &nbsp;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.’</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>The forgiven&nbsp;new-man, the born-anew child of God, the man who is walking by the Spirit, <u>by faith</u>, since his Baptism has had&nbsp;the Holy Spirit. &nbsp;&nbsp;Therefore, by the same Holy Spirit,&nbsp;&nbsp;we have&nbsp;the living&nbsp;Jesus&nbsp;indwelling us;</div><div>this new man hears this the great and first Commandment, not as law, but as Gospel!</div><div><br></div><div>This first and greatest Commandment is a promise, even&nbsp;more than it is&nbsp;a Command.</div><div><br></div><div>By Christ indwelling, we are <i>“partakers of the divine nature”&nbsp;</i>(2 Peter 1;4). &nbsp;Just as Jesus totally, completely&nbsp;loved the will of our Father, we too, by faith have that same mind and will! (1 Corinthians 2;16). <u>In Christ</u>, by His own oneness with us,&nbsp;we &nbsp;keep&nbsp;this great Commandment.<i></i></div><div><br></div><div>By this Mind of Christ, we are able to love as He loves, sacrificially. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Paul exhorts us saying, <i>“Be not drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit”</i><i></i></div><div>(Ephesians 5;18)</div><div><br></div><div>Alcohol induced dissipation is shameful loss of self-control. &nbsp;It renders us useless and fruitless&nbsp;to God.</div><div>But, being <i>“filled with the Spirit” </i>makes us purified&nbsp;wedding vessels, overflowing with the best wine of the wedding feast, who bring the joy of the Lord into this world. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>God our LORD, seriously desires to fully immerse us in love for Him, His will, and for our neighbor.</div><div>By this holy, beautiful, joyous, sacrificial, unrestrained devotion we are intended to&nbsp;walk by the Holy Spirit,</div><div>having left our own carnal desires behind. &nbsp;Like a young woman who has had many suitors, once her true husband is shown to her, she has heart and eyes for no other.</div><div><br></div><div>Truly, infatuated, romantic love, is intended by our God to be included in our understanding of a right definition of ‘faith.’ &nbsp;This <u>is</u>&nbsp;what God intends us to grasp when He Commands saying, <i>“with <u>all</u>&nbsp;your heart, and with <u>all</u>&nbsp;your soul, and with <u>all</u>&nbsp;your mind, and with <u>all</u>&nbsp;your strength.” &nbsp; </i>This is the new reality for those who <i>“walk by the Spirit.” &nbsp; </i>(Galatians 5;16-18, Romans 8;2-17)<u></u></div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: Merciful Father, whose Word never fails, grant us wisdom to hear your Commands with happy ears.</div><div>For Your Commands are not burdensome to Christ who&nbsp;delights to do Your will, and who now indwells His Bride the&nbsp;Church, even us! &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 12;28-30
28.  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.’
The forgiven new-man, the born-anew child of God, the man who is walking by the Spirit, by faith, since his Baptism has had the Holy Spirit.   Therefore, by the same Holy Spirit,  we have the living Jesus indwelling us;this new man hears this the great and first Commandment, not as law, but as Gospel!
This first and greatest Commandment is a promise, even more than it is a Command.
By Christ indwelling, we are “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1;4).  Just as Jesus totally, completely loved the will of our Father, we too, by faith have that same mind and will! (1 Corinthians 2;16). In Christ, by His own oneness with us, we  keep this great Commandment.
By this Mind of Christ, we are able to love as He loves, sacrificially.  
Paul exhorts us saying, “Be not drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit”(Ephesians 5;18)
Alcohol induced dissipation is shameful loss of self-control.  It renders us useless and fruitless to God.But, being “filled with the Spirit” makes us purified wedding vessels, overflowing with the best wine of the wedding feast, who bring the joy of the Lord into this world.  
God our LORD, seriously desires to fully immerse us in love for Him, His will, and for our neighbor.By this holy, beautiful, joyous, sacrificial, unrestrained devotion we are intended to walk by the Holy Spirit,having left our own carnal desires behind.  Like a young woman who has had many suitors, once her true husband is shown to her, she has heart and eyes for no other.
Truly, infatuated, romantic love, is intended by our God to be included in our understanding of a right definition of ‘faith.’  This is what God intends us to grasp when He Commands saying, “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”   This is the new reality for those who “walk by the Spirit.”   (Galatians 5;16-18, Romans 8;2-17)
Prayer: Merciful Father, whose Word never fails, grant us wisdom to hear your Commands with happy ears.For Your Commands are not burdensome to Christ who delights to do Your will, and who now indwells His Bride the Church, even us!  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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