Matthew 22:37-39 KJV, 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Hello friends, have you ever wondered, or struggled with the concept of how you should be treating others? As you ponder this scripture, in particular verse 39, we read that Jesus is telling us that the second great commandment is just like the first one; to love your neighbour as you love yourself. This is a heavy command for the human heart. Command is an authoritative order, which means it is a must from the highest authority; the God of love Himself.
Notice Jesus pinpoints loving others as you love yourself. What is He really saying? The only way for me to love my neighbour is to love myself? The way I love myself is the way I will love others? Then, this will also draw to the question; Do I love myself? So, it would be true to say that the way I treat myself is the way I am going to treat other people. Some may argue that and automatically say, “Of course I love myself,” while at the same time mistreating others. But clearly this scripture implies that it must go both ways. If you are treating others poorly then we are treating your own self poorly.
Matthew 7:12 KJV says, “In everything, do unto others what you would have them do to you.” How you treat others is a reflection of yourself. Would you let yourself go hungry when you are in need of food? Would you gossip about yourself, or even slander yourself? Would you say things about yourself that are not true when standing in the face of a liar? Would you steal from yourself? I believe that you would say no to those questions. So then we must ask ourselves, “Why would I do these things to someone else? Have you looked in the mirror of self lately? When was the last time you examined and took an introspect? Are you taking note of how you are treating yourself, so that in turn you can treat others better? or, Do you think mistreating others is not a reflection of you?
My friends, if you are not treating others the way you want to be treated then you do not love others, yourself, nor God who has commanded you to take this position of love. We must live intentionally, and be careful that we are living the way God has commanded us to live. You can not say that you love God and hate others at the same time. While we may not like some things that people do to us, or in general, our God commands us to love them anyway. I encourage you today as I encourage myself, to love your neighbour as you love yourself. Truly practice doing to others as you would have them do to you in EVERY situation, because loving others is loving yourself too.
Peace and Love
