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Leviticus 19.18 (NIV)
“Do not seek revenge or
bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I
am the Lord.”
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| One cannot love God and not love one’s fellow human being, for God does not accept such love.* |
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Did
your parents ever answer your “why” question with “because I said so”? Sometimes
God answers us the same way. We may offer excuses as to why we can’t love our
neighbor but God will not be drawn into our argument. “I am the Lord,” reminds
us of his authority.
This
verse (and Jesus’ quoting of it in Matthew 22.39) is frequently used to promote
the theory that in order to love others, we must first love ourselves. Nowhere
in the Bible are we commanded to love ourselves; indeed, no one has to tell us to
love ourselves. We hold grudges against each other but we are always ready to
give ourselves the benefit of the doubt and make excuses for our behavior. We
are quite capable of loving ourselves even when we know how unlovable we are. But,
as Christians, we must learn to have that “same intense love for others”* that we have for ourselves. . . . Because
he said so!
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| Only harbor a grudge when God does.* |
*Quote sources available upon request.
Amen and wow!
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