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Grace for All · Today · 4 min

Zero-Based Budgeting

Matthew 22:34-40 34 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.” When I was working, we always had to submit a new budget for the upcoming year. For a long time, we just looked at our expenses for the current year and increased that amount for the coming year. Then we started using zero-based budgeting. We had to review every budget item against what we had been tasked to do. We had to justify every expense against our primary mission. I think that is what Jesus was doing. He was saying that every one of the commandments in the law should be reviewed against the commandments to first love God with all that we have and then our neighbor as we love our self. The only commandments that were needed in the law were those that fit the purpose of these two. We all need from time to time to review our lives against these two commandments. How do we spend our time, money, and our other resources? Do these show our love for God and others? Perhaps we need to zero-base our lives. Get rid of the things that don’t show our love for God and others. What would our lives look like then? Prayer: Dear God, as I go through this day, in everything that I say, do and think help me to show my love for you and my neighbors. So that this day my life might bring a smile to your face rather than tears to your eyes. This devotion was written by Alvin Jenkins and read by Jim Stovall. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

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Matthew 22:34-40

34 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.”

When I was working, we always had to submit a new budget for the upcoming year. For a long time, we just looked at our expenses for the current year and increased that amount for the coming year.

Then we started using zero-based budgeting.

We had to review every budget item against what we had been tasked to do. We had to justify every expense against our primary mission.

I think that is what Jesus was doing. He was saying that every one of the commandments in the law should be reviewed against the commandments to first love God with all that we have and then our neighbor as we love our self. The only commandments that were needed in the law were those that fit the purpose of these two. We all need from time to time to review our lives against these two commandments.

How do we spend our time, money, and our other resources? Do these show our love for God and others? Perhaps we need to zero-base our lives. Get rid of the things that don’t show our love for God and others. What would our lives look like then?

Prayer: Dear God, as I go through this day, in everything that I say, do and think help me to show my love for you and my neighbors. So that this day my life might bring a smile to your face rather than tears to your eyes.

This devotion was written by Alvin Jenkins and read by Jim Stovall.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

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