Page 10 - Great Commandment News Today

Too many are following the ways of man as opposed to the Way of the Cross.

“This is how you are to pray” (Matthew 6:8). Isa 55:10-11; Matt 6:7-15 The central prayer said twice daily by all Jews is the Sh’ma, the recitation of the Great Commandment from Deuteronomy an...

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Just as the Great Commandment requires us to actively love our neighbors, the Great Requirement commands us to further the cause of justice.  The first part of this requirement, “act justly,” obligates believers to take affirmative steps toward promoting justice. Like love, justice is more than merely the lack of injustice. Justice is substantiv...

After 10 months of limited in-person gatherings or online programming, church congregants—like the rest of society—feel pandemic fatigue. We are hopeful that the availability of COVID-19 vaccines will allow our society and churches to return to normal. But a return to normalcy will take time. Unfortunately, many of our Christian brothers and sisters living in low- and middle-income countries, where I have worked for more than 25 years to stop the spread of infectious diseases, will not rece...

Ed Litton is the senior pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Ala. | Facebook/Redemption Church The Southern Baptist Convention’s first and only black president, Fred Luter, has nominated Alabama Pastor Ed Litton to become the denomination’s next president, setting up a brewing ideological clash on race with prominent candidate and seminary head Albert Mohler. “I have known Ed Litton for over 20 years. Our relationship started when we preached for each other as part of the SBC Racial R...

Motivational Moment: The Power Source The Power Source Reading: Ezra 8:21-23 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." S...

A Word of Hope for the Refugee Our family has a small Christmas Bible we read regularly during Advent. My children are fascinated that on the pages describing the birth of Jesus, Mary is surrounded by barn animals. They point to the animals, identifying them by name and making animal sounds. I clarify that this is not a normal birthing situation, and sometimes it opens the door for us to talk about the hardships Mary and Joseph endured. Not only were they unable to find a warm and hospitable p...

The tape for a few minutes about the wailing of innocent children. by the way, we ever stop and think why theyre showing up there? theyre showing up there because many of them feel as though that their entire families are at risk because of gangs, drug dealers. that doesnt mean we shouldnt have appropriate asylum. we have to make sure that our border is protected, but theres ways to accomplish both of these things. my concern is that perhaps some people are using this as a way to kind of inflict...

All showed up. its not just for and about a young couple who we rejoice with. its more than that. jesus of nazareth on one occasion was asked by a lawyer to sum up the essence of the teachings of moses, and he went back and reached back into the hebrew scriptures and jesus said you shall love the lord god with all your heart, all your love, and all your strength. this is the first great commandment. the second is, like it, love your neighbor as yourself. in matthews version, he added, he said, o...

Love, it is strong as death. but love is not only about a young couple. now, the power of love is demonstrated by the fact that were all here. two young people fell in love and we all showed up. but its not just for and about a young couple who we rejoice with. its more than that. jesus of nazareth on one occasion was asked by a lawyer to sum up the essence of the teachings of moses. and he went back and reached back into the hebrew scriptures to deuteronomy and leviticus and jesus said you shal...