Wayne Wilson
Today's Scripture: “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:39-40, ESV
Theme: We are commanded to love other people unconditionally, as our God loves us.
LOVE YOURSELF
Do you love yourself? Something about that doesn’t sound…right? Isn’t it wrong to love yourself? Isn’t that narcissistic? When I read this scripture, these kinds of questions always immediately come to mind. Do these questions sound familiar to you as well?
FIRST THINGS FIRST
I’m not entirely sure how or from whom I learned this, but this kind of thinking has been such a part of my thought processes that I can’t remember where it came from. Teachers, church lessons, my parents, even my formal psychological and theological education, have reinforced this idea that loving yourself was a bad thing. Yet, here is the thing that Jesus commanded: “We must (shall) love our neighbors as ourselves.”
The Oxford Dictionary offers two definitions of “shall.” The first is in first person and expressing the future tense. So future tense: you will (must) love your neighbor as yourself. The second is stating a strong assertion or intention. This is in present tense and a commitment: “I am going to love my neighbor as myself.” This can be a confession as in, “I am going to love my neighbor in the same way I love myself.” The way and degree that you love (“agape” or the way God loves us) yourself is going to predict the way you love your neighbor. Psychology science confirms this confession. Your capacity to love others is predicted by your own self-acceptance and affirmation.
KEY COMMANDMENT
All…the Old Testament Laws and all the declarations of the Prophets are based on these two connected commandments (Matthew 22:37-40, ESV). If you are getting to know and love God (commandment one) and are loving yourself as God loves you, thus loving others in the same way (commandment two), you will have a great start to Christlikeness. This key instruction sets the frame for all of life in Christ.
When the questions were posed to Jesus, “Which is the great commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36, ESV), Jesus quotes the commandment from Deuteronomy 6:5 (ESV) to “Love God” with your whole being, and then adds the commandment from Leviticus, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18, ESV). These two instructions capture the essence of all of what is most important in life.
Make It Personal: Easier said than done right? How do we live this out? The first commandment is the first thing. Get to know and fall in love with God. Learn what it means and looks like to be loved by God and to love Him with your whole self: body, mind, and soul. If you do not have a relationship with God or know God, allow Christ to be your bridge to a love relationship with God the Father and an ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit. Once you have this, let this relationship completely transform your opinion of yourself.
Living out the second commandment is about walking the commandment backwards. Allow the love God has for you to be the framework from which you think about and see yourself. Love yourself as God loves you. Finally, love others in the way you are being loved. Give back to others what you have received…complete, unconditional, and transformative acceptance and grace.
Pray: God, I receive with joy and gratefulness Your love and acceptance through and in Christ Jesus. I know that You love me completely and gave Jesus as a sacrificial gift for me to be reconciled with You. You fully and completely know and love me. Help me to look past all that I know about my shortcomings and issues and accept myself as You accept me. Teach me then to love others in the way You are loving me. This is unfamiliar to me and not part of my earthly ways. Please help me think and act toward others as You do. Amen.
Read: Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18; Galatians 5:14