Daily Devotional

-June 26, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Love Your Neighbor As Yourself-

“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

(Leviticus 19:18).

When Jesus was asked by one of the lawyers which was the greatest commandment, He replied in Matthew 22:37-40, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these hang all the Law and the Prophets.” These come from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.

When you think about it, all the commandments, which are so many in the OT, can be boiled down to these two: to love God and one’s neighbor. Even the Ten Commandments fit into these two great commandments. Today’s verse is the second greatest commandment. It is so important how that we treat each other with love.

If we practice these two commandments, we would get along together so much better. Jesus told the Parable of the Good Samaritan as a lesson on how to love one’s neighbor. Helping others in need is love in action. The old expression is so true, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

If we would just think of every person we meet as a friend and a neighbor, how much better would we get along! There is far too much selfishness and self seeking in this world. Jesus taught us to love one another and think of others as more important than ourselves. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

May the Lord help us to love each other as we love ourselves. It is especially challenging considering that none of us are perfect. There is no room for vengeance or the holding of grudges. Our love for others is based on God’s love for us. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

Have a blessed day loving neighbors, friends, family, and our brothers and sisters in Christ as ourselves and as Christ loves us. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean