Suppose Jesus came to visit you today and you had the opportunity to talk to him.  What would you ask him?

Or imagine that God spoke to you in a booming voice from the heavens as you were sitting at your computer just now.  If God told you to do something, saying that it was more important than anything you had ever been asked to do before, would you do it?

As Christians, we want to know about God's will for our lives, and we want to understand God's priorities.  Sometimes we may think to ourselves, "If only I knew what God wanted me to do... but I don't know!"

You've probably read this passage many times before, and you've probably heard preachers mention it in sermons so often that you're sick of it.  But today, as you read it, think about how profound this is:  Jesus Christ is telling us exactly what God's top priorities are.

Mark 12:28-34 (NIV)

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.  Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'  The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no commandment greater than these."

"Well said, teacher," the man replied.  "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.  To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

If these are God's #1 and #2 priorities, they should be ours as well.  Stop and think for a moment: have you been acting according to these priorities today, or has something else been more important to you?  If your words and actions this week were judged according to this standard, how would they hold up?  What can you change in your life, or commit to do in the future, to more accurately reflect these priorities?

How about this week?  Tonight?  Right now?