Love Your Neighbor as Yourself


Read Matthew 7:12  

The word love is used hundreds of times throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament. Love is both a noun (a thing) and a verb (an action). Love is not just about having feelings, it’s about putting those feelings to work.

“How can you say you love God, Who you haven’t seen and hate your neighbor who you have seen” (1 John 4:20-21). Jesus never calls us to do anything that He did not first do Himself, and that He didn’t show us how to do. A perfect example of loving your neighbor as yourself is the “good Samaritan” (Luke 10: 25-37).

God commands us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). He also tells us, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Jesus doesn’t give suggestions, He gives commands. Obeying His commands is our way of showing we love God, as He showed His love for us by dying on the Cross. Jesus didn’t feel like dying on the Cross but He did so in obedience to the Father and because He loved us, His children. The agape love Christ showed and we are commanded to show supersedes our feelings and emotions.

During this most holy and precious season, let’s take the time to show the love of Jesus Christ to those who are lost and hurting. Let’s live as Jesus did (1John 2:6). When Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, He is not telling us to die for them as He did for us, just to love them. We can do this in simple ways; a warm smile, an encouraging word, a kind deed, a phone call, a card, forgiveness. Simple things that we should be doing all the time, not just during this season, that can mean so much. Jesus showed His love for us when He stretched out His arms and died for us. We can show our love for Him by obeying His commands “to do unto others as we would have them do unto us,” and “to love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s the least and the best we can do.

Let’s show the love of Christ so we can set the captives free one person at a time. We might not always like our neighbor or the things they do, but we are still commanded to love them. We serve an awesome, amazing, merciful, loving God who loves us so much, surely we can do the same for each other.

At the end of the day when Jesus asks us if we did “unto others as we would have them do unto us,” what will our answer be?

FOR REFLECTION:

  • What is one thing you can do today to show love to your neighbors? 

by Monroe & Patricia Kirby