Day 18 - National Day of Prayer - Coach Jerry Hawkes

Coach Jerry Hawkes

 Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I am truly grateful to the person who asked Jesus, what is the most important task I should be doing? The question is incredible; it sums up everything I need to know. How should I prioritize my life? If you are anything like me, you get distracted and often times fail to prioritize your day and life in the proper order.
In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus succinctly helps me keep my priorities simple and in the correct order. Love God and Love People! You can sum up all 613 commandments of the Old Testament in those two verses. Wow! What a cheat sheet! There is absolutely nothing more important for me to do than to Love God and Love People.

What I find even more helpful is the order of the verses. I am to Love God first, then I am to Love People. Do not switch the order! Loyalty is a powerful force. In fact loyalty and love of people can lead us to follow sinful habits, such as lying for friends and family. Tony Dungy, the former Indianapolis Colts head coach, has said one of the most powerful statements I have heard: "Integrity trumps loyalty every time".
Integrity or love of God keeps us in check when loyalty or love of people tempts us to break one of the other important commandments of the Bible.

 Prayer -
God, I give you full permission to do whatever it takes for me to prioritize my life properly. I want to love you and I want to love people. Please soften my heart and attitude toward you and every person I come into contact with. At the end of my life may people say that I was in love with you and I unashamedly loved people.