Jesus quoted it to summarize the entire Bible. Paul meditated on how Jesus could fit into it. James warned about only believing but not obeying it. It was the first words taught to child as soon as they could speak. To this day it's their last words on the death bed.

It's not a prayer.

It's not a creed.

It's an oath of loyalty.

- Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one -

What does God wish we knew about it today?

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6.4-5

(Additional Reading: Deuteronomy 11.13-21; Numbers 15.37-41; Mark 12.29-30; Matthew 22.37; Luke 10.27; Galatians 3.20; Romans 3.29-30; 1 Corinthians 8.6; James 2.19; Mark 2.7; Luke 5.21; Mark 10.18).

why this matters

what God wants us to know in these words

“If I try to love God with all my heart and soul and mind to the exclusion of everything else, I exclude the love of my neighbor and risk viewing her as a distraction, a thing that interferes with my devotion to God. This is the mistake of pious hermits and those of us who prefer churches or synagogues to soup kitchens. But if I center all of my attention on loving my neighbor as myself and forget about loving God, I find it impossible to maintain that neighborly love because I am no longer connected to the Source of love itself. This is the mistake of secular humanists. True love must flow from God through me to everyone else ... So, is "love the Lord" the greatest commandment or is "love my neighbor"? The answer is "yes." And "yes.”

- Athol Dickson -