“...Use
your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For
everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love
others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and
ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each
other, and where will your precious freedom be then? My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and
motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness.
For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free
spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness.” Galatians 5:13-18 (The Message)
How many times in your life have you heard the phrase,
“love one another as you love yourself”? Have you ever really thought about
what that means?
God wants us to be at peace with each other and to help
when someone needs help. To not think
our ideas / actions / material things are better than our neighbors. God didn’t design us to compete with one another
but to work in harmony, encouraging and supporting one another towards the
ultimate goal which is to live eternally in Heaven.
Ever receive a compliment from someone unexpectedly?
Perhaps from a friend, your husband or even a complete stranger. Do you remember how that made you feel? It probably changed your whole outlook for
the day, possibly your whole week! Do
you consider giving a compliment a form of loving someone as yourself? I don’t know about you, but if I gave myself
a compliment, it wouldn’t have the same effect as if I received one from
someone else. (Plus, my kids would think
I’m going crazy talking to myself!) In
my opinion, giving a sincere compliment is a true form of loving others as we
wouldn’t sit around talking ourselves up!
Another way we can love someone is to open our ears and
listen intently without passing judgment. Do you think as God listens to your
prayers He’s thinking that if you would have listened to Him in the first place
you wouldn’t have been in this predicament?
Of course not, and we shouldn’t either.
Possibly another form is valuing our neighbor’s children. God thinks so highly of our kids, all kids,
and we should strive to do the same
regardless of the child’s behavior.
You can begin today focusing on raising others up. To love them as you love yourself. Sometimes
all it takes is a simple smile or a pat on the back. Maybe even a simple compliment. Other times it takes much more time and
attention. But always in the end, if our
hearts are in it for the right reason, we are the one’s who will feel the most
loved.
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