Well unless you have been living under a rock you probably know that last night was the Super Bowl.  It’s amazing to think how much energy attention and focus goes into the Super Bowl.  It is the second biggest eating day of the year for Americans.  Perhaps you hosted or went to a Super Bowl gathering yourself.  An estimated 1.5 billion chicken wings were consumed yesterday as well as 10 million pounds of ribs.  Over $6 billion dollars were bet yesterday on things from the coin toss, to who will score the first touchdown, to the length of the National Anthem.  A 30 second ad yesterday cost advertisers approximately 7 million dollars.  For all the coordination and practice and effort that goes into the halftime show the NFL pays performers nothing.  They submit bids to do the performance for the publicity alone.  The average price for a Super Bowl ticket this year was $9,927.  All of this to say the Super Bowl is a big deal.  It made me think about all of the time and money and effort that went into a game.  What is our Super Bowl?  What gets that level of focus and attention in our lives?  Jesus gave us a thought about what should.  Let’s look at His words in Matthew 22.

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

For Jesus it all comes down to love.  How well are we loving God and how well are we loving people?  All your heart soul and mind is a big deal.  It means deliberate, intentional, Super Bowl level focus.  It is an investment of time, of our resources, and our very lives.  Loving people often requires the same thing.  We may never get to play in a Super Bowl, but we all get an opportunity to perform a task that Jesus says is most important.  Love God and love the people that God made. 

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave