HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div
The perfect definition of love is shared here in the Bible, the Holy Book filled with God’s great love for us is inspiring and humbling. How should we live? Clearly we are all called to love.
While Jesus was being tested by the Pharisees, they asked him, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36). I imagine, without skipping a beat, Jesus gave them an answer they couldn’t forget. “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Jesus knew that loving the Lord with all of our hearts, soul, and mind would result in the highest level of life filled with love. This greatest commandment is imperative to living for Christ and for Christ to shine through us. To love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, and mind is to love Him with every last molecule in our bodies. Everything we do, say, and think about would be filtered through the love we have for our Father and to do His goodwill. While this first command makes perfect sense to our calling, the second command may be a little harder for some of us to understand or put into practice.
Is it easy for you to understand what loving yourself means? Loving yourself, giving grace, forgiveness, treating your
body kindly, and resting are just a few ways to love ourselves. Loving ourselves may come naturally for some but loving someone else the same way may be more difficult. In a world where hurt and pain exists at every turn and words can be carelessly thrown around, the need for loving our neighbour is extremely high. We don’t always know one another’s stories or motives but we can’t let the shields that we may have built up keep us from getting close to our neighbour and staying open to loving everyone. How can we love? Offering peace, giving grace, caring for others’ needs, and forgiving each other. The need for love is now.
Did God know that we would have a hard time loving both ourselves and others? I honestly think so. That is why it is so important for us to remember that loving our neighbours and ourselves are mutually exclusive and monumentally important to do. “Love your neighbour as yourself.” What would a world look like if we could all live this out every day?
Do you need God’s help to love Him better? Maybe you need to take better care of yourself so that you can love others more. Or, maybe you need help with tearing down walls of unforgiveness, bitterness, or jealousy that are keeping you from loving those that God has in your life? Let’s pray this together:
A Prayer for the Love of God
My Father,
Thank you for your great love for us. You sent your only Son to live with us and show us how to love. He gave His life for us and resurrected on that third day so that we could also be with you in eternity!
Lord, to feel just an inch of the radiance of your love and the glow from your excellence will be more than we can imagine. Knowing your love for us is humbling too.
Thank you Lord, for this day and hour as we read this message and prayer, open our understanding to know You and Your true Love which is shed abroad in the hearts of men.
Bless your children and servants this day in Jesus’Name. AMEN
