Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
" 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD.
" ' Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.
" ' Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." Leviticus 19:16-18.
Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD.
" ' Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.
" ' Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." Leviticus 19:16-18.
What a loving God. He created us and He knows what is best for us. The plans he has for us are for our good and never for our evil. His "rules, commandments and regulations" are all designed to bring prosperity and peace into our lives, homes, and society. Think about all the turmoil we invite into our lives and society simply because we ignore God's guidance in relating to each other? How would society look like if we genuinely loved our neighbor as ourselves!
So, what if you and I determined not to slander other people by not spreading terrible things about them? Things that we would most likely not take kindly to if they were said about us?
What if we avoided doing anything to endanger the lives of others?
By the way, we can endanger the lives of others in more ways than we think. There are times when we endanger the lives of others simply by withholding pertinent information from them which could prevent them from costly mistakes.
What if we consciously worked on not hating anyone in our hearts, bear grudges or seek revenge? What if we boldly rebuked people when they did malicious things? What if we sincerely confronted people when they wronged us in a bid to avoid holding grudges against them? What if we left all vengeance out of our lives and entrusted it to God to whom vengeance belongs? Our judgment can be skewed but God is just and all-knowing.
In short: what if we loved our neighbor as ourselves and did unto them what we would want them to do unto us? Jesus reminds us that all that God requires of us can be summarized in two commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. I believe the peace and harmony in our soul would be immeasurable!
Our loving God has a reason for giving us these guidelines. Let's latch unto them.
So, what if you and I determined not to slander other people by not spreading terrible things about them? Things that we would most likely not take kindly to if they were said about us?
What if we avoided doing anything to endanger the lives of others?
By the way, we can endanger the lives of others in more ways than we think. There are times when we endanger the lives of others simply by withholding pertinent information from them which could prevent them from costly mistakes.
What if we consciously worked on not hating anyone in our hearts, bear grudges or seek revenge? What if we boldly rebuked people when they did malicious things? What if we sincerely confronted people when they wronged us in a bid to avoid holding grudges against them? What if we left all vengeance out of our lives and entrusted it to God to whom vengeance belongs? Our judgment can be skewed but God is just and all-knowing.
In short: what if we loved our neighbor as ourselves and did unto them what we would want them to do unto us? Jesus reminds us that all that God requires of us can be summarized in two commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. I believe the peace and harmony in our soul would be immeasurable!
Our loving God has a reason for giving us these guidelines. Let's latch unto them.
Prayer: Father, I thank you for the admonition that I should love my neighbor as myself. Help me to sincerely put this into practice so that I will experience peace and harmony in my soul. Amen.