Love Your Neighbor as Yourself


 


I'd say half the time that I teach at our church, somewhere in my lesson is this passage:

Matthew 22:36-39 NKJV  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  37  Jesus said to him, 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'  38  This is the first and great commandment.  39  And the second is like it: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'

These commandments are the foundation of so much.  Jesus taught that our relationship with God and our fellow man come first.  They must be the basis of everything we do as Christians.

When in a Bible study yesterday, it came to me that there is an un-numbered, silent but assumed third commandment in that passage. . . 

Read it carefully again, and try to find it:

Matthew 22:36-39 NKJV  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  37  Jesus said to him, 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'  38  This is the first and great commandment.  39  And the second is like it: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'

See it now? It says that, 'You shall love your neighbor as YOURSELF.'

Loving yourself is crucial, and maybe that comes easy for many, but for those of us with a past with so much shame in our histories,  we find it much easier to forgive others, than to forgive ourselves, 

Without forgiving and loving ourselves as we should, this keeps our focus on our past, and handcuffs our present. Rather than accepting the bright light of God's complete forgiveness, we live under a cloud.

A person cannot do anything about something that happened 5 seconds ago, let alone years and decades gone by.  I wish I hadn't wasted so much of my life making so many mistakes. I was so sure there was no God.  I was such a fool, but I am helpless to change the past.  All I can do is to try to do my best with the time I have left. . . Keep my eyes on my loving, forgiving, caretaking Father. . . and pray to find complete self-forgiveness and self-love under the shelter of His wings. . . 

These words speak to me as I write this, and give me hope:

Matthew 5:3-11 NKJV

Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

Thank You Lord. . .

I love You my God. . .

Help me love myself. . .

❤

Dave

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