Love as Jesus Loved || Matthew 7:12 || Manna for the Mind #6

Welcome to Day 6 of my “Manna for the Mind” devotional series! This series takes a passage of scripture (typically 1-3 verses) and builds its understanding through its context and connecting scripture. Doing this helps us understand what the Bible truly teaches us. 

Matthew 7:12

12        “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the laws and the prophets.”

Jesus gives us the foundation for everything we read in the Old Testament. Treating each other with love and respect in the same way we’d want to be treated is the basis for all 613 laws and for all the teachings and messages that came from the prophets.

It’s not that hard, right? Well, it feels like this in today’s society. Still, it’s pretty easy. Most people don’t go out of their way to intentionally harm someone. I’d like to say all people, but let’s be realistic. No one should wake up and choose violence towards anyone who comes in their path, but we know that this isn’t always the case. It can feel harder to intentionally do good things for others when Jesus teaches us to love our enemies. It feels challenging to sacrifice our money, time, and resources to others, especially those we’ve had trouble with in the past.

Yet, this is the basis of God’s goodness, mercy, and love that he gives us daily. There’s a stipulation behind it. God willing gifts it to us. Sometimes, we feel we don’t deserve it, but God still gifts it freely. It’s one of the greatest blessings in life to receive.

Paul talks about how to treat others in Romans 13:8-10.

Romans 13:8-10

8          Owe nothing to anyone – except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.

9          For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These – and other such commandments – are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

10        Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements.

While studying this passage, the concept of “owe nothing to anyone” didn’t jump out at me. Now, it makes sense. We don’t owe anyone anything because it all goes to Jesus. The only thing we are obligated to do is love. Love as Jesus did. You can dislike someone for their actions towards you, the harsh agendas they push, and more, but you still need to love them. At the end of the day, they’re human and deserving of the same kind of love you want. Christ died on the cross as an act of sacrificial love. We can share that love with others as an act of repayment or, as we say today, “pay it forward.” The love we share with others today can impact future generations, and that may seem like a massive statement to make, but it’s true. Someone might go home and apologize to their kids after screaming at them last night because they felt love from someone else. Feeling gracious, someone could purchase a meal for someone homeless or in need. The person who receives the love can share it with others and continue the effect. We don’t know the impact we can make on another person, good or bad, so why not reinforce that it’s a loving impact that we make.

With the focus on self-care and self-love that society pushes today, we rarely hear how healthy and godly it is. I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety for most of my 20s (diagnosed at least), and there are things that I do that I wouldn’t consider an act of self-love but can be looked at as acts of love. Think about these things and whether or not you consistently do them for yourself:

• You probably don’t let yourself willingly go hungry.
• You take care of your body and may even exercise.
• You clothe yourself reasonably well.
• You make sure there’s a roof over your head.
• You try not to let yourself be cheated or injured.
• You get angry if someone tries to ruin your marriage or personal relationships.

Guaranteed, most of you can say, “I do those things, don’t I?” I know there are people out there in the world who struggle with eating disorders, body dysmorphia, homelessness, poverty, anger problems, and other related issues. I can say that they don’t do one or all of these things. I recognize and acknowledge that, but there are times when we can wake up and say that we do at least one of those things today. I didn’t let myself go hungry willingly. I didn’t care for my body like I should’ve, but I still did somewhat. I wore sensible clothes. I woke up in a home with a roof. I ensured I didn’t put myself in a position where I got hurt today. I got frustrated today but for different reasons. It may be good to take an end-of-day evaluation and see which of these you can say yes to.

Whatever you say yes to consistently, I challenge you to see how you can help someone else say yes to one of these things. These things resemble the type of love that we must have for each other. Loving others as ourselves means actively working to see that others’ needs are being met. If they’re not, we help them meet them. We provide time, money, and resources to get them where they need to be and help set them up for success.

Remember, loving others as ourselves is the foundation for the laws and prophetic teachings from the Old Testament. It’s not a societal version of it, nor is it a religious version of it, but the biblical version of it. A version that Jesus taught from the beginning to the end. Whether it’s called for or not, we should (and must at times) go beyond the human norm and imitate the God of love.

Galatians 5:14-15:

14        For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

15        But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

When believers lose the motivation to love, we become critical of others and ourselves. We stop looking for good in them and see only their faults. Our views of ourselves, others, and the world become more cynical, pessimistic, and anger-filled.

Remind yourself of Jesus’ command to love each other as you love yourself. When you feel critical of someone, list their good qualities. When you hear gossip or bad-mouthing, confront those doing it or leave the conversation. When your inner critic is loud, remind yourself of Jesus’ love for you and the power you have as a Christian. Amen.

Father God, we thank you for the love, grace, and mercy you give us daily and teach us about in the Bible. As we go through life, help us love others as we want to be loved by them and as we are loved by you. It’s in your name; we pray. Amen.