Scripture: Psalm 146

1) Praise the Lord!

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

2) I will praise the Lord as long as I live.

I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

3) Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;

there is no help for you there.

4) When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,

and all their plans die with them.

5) But joyful are those who have the God of Israel#146:5 Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 44:4. as their helper,

whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6) He made heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them.

He keeps every promise forever.

7) He gives justice to the oppressed

and food to the hungry.

The Lord frees the prisoners.

8) The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.

The Lord loves the godly.

9) The Lord protects the foreigners among us.

He cares for the orphans and widows,

but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

10) The Lord will reign forever.

He will be your God, O Jerusalem,#146:10 Hebrew Zion. throughout the generations.

Praise the Lord!

Scripture: Mark 12: 28-34

The Most Important Commandment

28) One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29) Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.

30) And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

32) The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. 

33) And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.”

34Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.