Loving Others
Loving Others
“The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:39)
Love Turned Inward
We’ve probably all heard preachers, teachers, or others say that before a man can love other people, he must first love himself. Countless scores of the famous and not-so-famous have echoed the thought. Lucille Ball, television and film star of yesteryear, once said: “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in the world.”
But Benjamin Franklin may have hit the nail on the head more accurately when he observed, “He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.” It’s true—the man who is stuck on his own selfish goals won’t have a lot of friends hanging around.
Love Turned Outward
Worldly wisdom appeals to our selfish nature. But Jesus assumes that self-love is our natural state. It doesn’t really take a lot of work to love ourselves, not in a deep, realistic sense. What’s hard is applying the second greatest commandment—to love others as we love ourselves.
It may be a challenge, but with God’s empowering we can do it. We can see that the poor have a bed to sleep in, the cold have a coat to wear, and the hungry have food to eat. Jesus says in Matthew 25 that when we serve those in need, we actually serve Him. By loving them, we come full circle and demonstrate our love for Him. Remember that God Himself is a lover and a giver. He is our Source.
Bottom Line
List three ways you can demonstrate love for others, and then follow through on it.