Monthly Study
February 2024Understanding the Greatest Commandment
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.—Deuteronomy 6:5
In Deuteronomy 6:5, God instructed His people: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Then, in Matthew 22:36–38, Jesus identified this as the greatest commandment—our highest calling, central purpose, and ultimate goal. That seems like a tall order. It can feel like an overwhelming challenge or just an abstract idea. So, this month we’re going to examine this commandment from all angles. We’ll pour over Bible passages that will challenge us to love God deeply—heart, mind, strength, and soul. Through this study, we pray that you will:
- Recognize the many ways in which we can love God
- Feel gratitude for His love, which compels us to respond
- Love God more deeply and fully
Your devotional author,
Kelli Worrall
Volume 37Edition 2
Managing Editor: Jamie Janosz, Senior Editor: Elena Mafter, Contributing Editor: John Koessler, Writer: Kelli Worrall, Art Director: Lynn Gabalec, Graphic Designer: Rachel Hutcheson, Marketing: JD Hamby Production: Rhonda AuYeung
About the Author
Kelli Worrall
Kelli Worrall is Professor of Communications and Chair of the Division of Music and Media Arts at Moody Bible Institute.
View MoreDevotional Calendar
Podcasts
00:00 / 00:00
With All Your Heart
00:00
St. Augustine is often quoted as saying, “Love God and do whatever you please.” Taken at face value, it sounds like a license to carefree living.
February 1, 2024
The Greatest Commandment
00:00
When my college students often ask me to name my favorite author, story, or poem, I usually have trouble answering. My mind goes blank,...
February 2, 2024
What Must I Do?
00:00
In what ways have you been discipled? By your parents, teachers, or by a trusted mentor? Did they teach you overtly? Or did they just model the life of a Christ follower?
February 3, 2024
What Do I Believe?
00:00
Did you have a favorite childhood story—one you read again and again? Maybe you imagined you were that princess who rose from rags to riches.
February 4, 2024
Remain Teachable
00:00
In Carol Dweck’s popular book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success she explains a theory that became popular in the classroom.
February 5, 2024
Think Rightly
00:00
A Christian counselor friend of ours once asked our small group that was gathered in his home: “If I told you to think about what you had for breakfast today, could you do it?”
February 6, 2024
Deeper Than Doubt
00:00
In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, two friends, Christian and Hopeful, deviate from the True Way to explore By-Path Meadow because it looks like an easier route.
February 7, 2024
Renew Your Mind
00:00
Last August our family spent a week in Minnesota. For three days, we stayed on the north shore of Lake Superior at the Naniboujou Lodge.
February 8, 2024
Looking at Ourselves
00:00
Pride is a dangerous and destructive sin. It can skew our view of the world and our place in it. Left unchecked, it can cause an inflated ego, a lack of empathy,...
February 9, 2024
Love Without Hypocrisy
00:00
How do you distinguish between true and fake love? A quick internet search provides plenty of advice. Your love may be fake if you are the only one initiating contact.
February 10, 2024
Choose Carefully
00:00
Friends have a powerful influence on us. Good friends help reduce our stress and process our pain. Together, we rejoice and mourn.
February 11, 2024
Feed Yourself
00:00
Have you ever used a diet where you had to record everything you ate? It is revealing to track all the calories you consume,...
February 12, 2024
Foster Good Habits
00:00
In his book The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg defines habits as actions we perform—all day, every day—with little or no conscious thought.
February 13, 2024
Learn to Rest
00:00
In 2016, the Wellcome Foundation conducted the world’s largest “Rest Test.” They surveyed 18,000 participants from 135 countries, asking them what activities they found to be restful.
February 14, 2024
Wait Well
00:00
When my husband and I started the China adoption process in 2005, we were told it would take eighteen months.
February 15, 2024
Don’t Worry
00:00
During the Holocaust, Corrie ten Boom and her family helped many Jewish people escape the Nazis. We can only imagine the anxiety she experienced.
February 16, 2024
Adjust Your Expectations
00:00
One Friday afternoon, as I drove home from work, I was already feeling frustrated. I had expectations for our Saturday that I knew would not be realized.
February 17, 2024
Boldly Obey
00:00
When researchers asked 50 people over the age of 95 what they would do differently, their top three answers were: reflect more, invest in more long-living projects, and...
February 18, 2024
Evaluate Your Emotions
00:00
Emotions play a significant role in our lives. They motivate us, connect us, and add meaning to our experiences.
February 19, 2024
Press into Pain
00:00
Pain, both physical and emotional, is a part of human experience, and as Christians we are not exempt. How can we walk through times of suffering while remaining in God’s love?
February 20, 2024
Guard Your Heart
00:00
When counseling someone in a new dating relationship, we might advise, “Guard your heart.” Don’t get too close or emotionally attached...
February 21, 2024
Take Sin Seriously
00:00
You may be familiar with the sin cycle described throughout Scripture: longing, temptation, sin, consequences, confession, repentance, restoration, then back to longing.
February 22, 2024
Confess and Repent
00:00
When we confess, we admit guilt and acknowledge our sin. Repentance takes confession a step further.
February 23, 2024
Forgive as You’re Forgiven
00:00
Did you know that forgiving others has health benefits? The physical benefits include less anxiety, lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system,...
February 24, 2024
Seek His Healing
00:00
When Jesus walked the earth, He healed many people. He even raised some from the dead. With each miracle, He demonstrated His deity and His power.
February 25, 2024
Live Loved
00:00
Perhaps the greatest longing of the human heart is to be loved—to be cherished, cared for, and admired.
February 26, 2024
An Eternal Perspective
00:00
Time is an uncomfortable reality, isn’t it? Like clothing, time rarely seems to fit just right. Sometimes we want to rush toward a longed-for event or a new stage of life.
February 27, 2024
God’s Glory—Your Goal
00:00
Do you have a goal? Maybe you want to lose 10 pounds or build up to running a marathon. The right goals can be helpful and motivating.
February 28, 2024
Prepare to Be Amazed
00:00
“Prepare to Be Amazed” is the title of the final chapter of a book my husband Peter and I wrote together, 20 Things We’d Tell Our Twentysomething Selves.
February 29, 2024