What did love cost you this week?  When were you reminded of God’s love for you?

  

Read Mark 12:28–40, what contrasts do you notice between the scribe in verses 28–34 and the scribes Jesus warns about in verses 38–40?

  • What does Jesus affirm in the first scribe?
  • What corruption does He expose in the others?
  • How do these two encounters help define genuine devotion to God?

 

 Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. What currently competes for your deepest affection, trust, or allegiance?

  • What tends to consume your emotional energy or mental attention?
  • Where are you most tempted to compartmentalize your faith rather than orient your whole life around God?

  

Which of the “Religion vs. Gospel” comparisons most exposes a tendency in your own heart right now?

  • Do you find yourself trying to earn closeness with God, preserve an image, or hide failure?
  • How does the gospel free us from performative spirituality and self-protection?

 

 Jesus connects loving God directly to loving people. In what relationships is God currently calling you to demonstrate patience, dignity, humility, forgiveness, or sacrificial care?

  • Is there someone difficult to love right now?
  • What practical step of obedience or reconciliation might reflect the love of God this week?

 

 Spend some time praying honestly before God.

  • Ask Him to reveal areas where you are merely “near” the kingdom instead of fully surrendered.
  • Thank Him that His love acts first, awakens first, and restores first.
  • Pray that the love you have received in Christ would increasingly shape the way you see and treat others.