Matthew 22:39(KJV)
And the second is like, unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Love is the greatest commandment on earth. The Bible offers us an understanding of the source, character, and value of love based on the nature and actions of God. It teaches that God is the source of love and that His very character is love. The Bible says in 1 John 4:7, “love comes from God and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” In other words, love is a fundamental characteristic of who God is. Everything God does is driven and influenced by His love(John 3:16). 1 John 5:2 says, “By this, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments.” We cannot claim to love God if we do not have His commandments in our hearts. Therefore, it shows in our obedience to His commandments if we love Him. Love is selfless and patient and keeps us in the service of the Lord without considering selfish interests. Love makes us identify with the challenges of brethren without attempting to brag about it. Love makes us do the unusual and go the extra mile.
Jesus, answering the Pharisees, commanded them to love their neighbor as themselves. He summarized the other nine commandments into one as loving our neighbor as ourselves. The Scriptures also make it very clear that love is revealed through action, especially what we do in the interest of others. If we love our neighbors, we won’t lie to them or about them, cheat them, lay with their wives or husbands, hate or think evil about them. We cannot claim to be walking in love when we defile our neighbor’s daughter or son. If we sincerely love one another, we will not go to the extent of killing other people. If we love, we will stay away from envy, hatred, pride, selfishness, or any form of wickedness. Love will not allow us to do anything that hurts others. Many people are going about lying and doing all manner of things against others. How will we feel if someone lies about us to destroy our reputation, get us fired from work, or hated? Many have filled their lives with gossiping and talebearing, tearing families and churches apart. The collateral damage caused can sometimes not be quantifiable. How will we feel if someone is interested in our wife or husband trying everything to move us packing out of our home? How will we feel if someone steals from us or cheats us in a business? Many have committed suicide because of the actions of others. It is written in Matthew 18:7, “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” The love towards our neighbors is evidence of our love towards God, so let the love of God fill our hearts.
Beloved, as God has loved you as His own, LOVE others and live with the consideration of the feelings and welfare of others. The Holy Spirit spells this out clearly in Galatians 6:2, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Be conscious of the impact of your actions on others; imagine yourself in others’ shoes. Treat everyone in your life impartially like your own and love as much as you live. Be kind, love more, and not try to be clever in your own eyes, for you do not know what tomorrow holds for you. Loving others does not mean agreeing with everything they say or do, nor does it mean acting in ways that always gain their approval. May you have the heart of God to love others as yourself, remembering that you too are a sojourner on this earth. Never forget, you may not know the true story, so don’t be quick to judge because running to judgment can destroy someone’s life, your own life, or a beautiful relationship. Remember, embracing God’s love is the key to loving others and whatever will hurt you or will be painful to you will also hurt or be painful to others.
O Lord, thank You for Your Word. I humbly ask for Your forgiveness if I have not loved my neighbor as myself in Jesus’ Name.