LOVE FROM THE HEART (3)

“You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘YOUR NEIGHBOR as yourself” – Luke 10:27

The two prongs to the Command for us to LOVE from the HEART are God-ward and neighbour-ward: “You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘YOUR NEIGHBOR as yourself’” (Lk.10:27).  We’ve examined the first and primary prong: Loving the Lord our God. The second is to love our neighbour as ourselves, which by inference is also Heart-based. Without doing the first part, we really don’t have the ability to do the second. When we’re able to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, the Holy Spirit helps us to love other people as ourselves.

In Luke’s account, the context was before Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. A lawyer tested him by inquiring what to do “to inherit eternal life" (v.25). Jesus asked him what was “written in the law?” and what he had read of it (v.26). The lawyer quoted the two-pronged Shema (v.27). He however used a fourfold description – heart, soul, strength, and mind – instead of the threefold description in Deuteronomy 6:5. The Lord replied: “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live” (v.28). The man “wanting to justify himself,” asked, “And who is my neighbour” (v.29). To this, the Lord narrated the popular Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Loving our neighbour as ourselves comes down to the Golden Rule: “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise” (Lk.6:31). We are to treat all like we want to be treated; and as God has treated us. Regardless of how we feel in any given situation, we can offer grace like the grace God extends to us daily rather than let others pull us into their web of callousness. 

To love my neighbour as myself means:

To shed my own hurt in order to heal others: Everyone is hurt or has been hurt in some way. Life’s hurts can harden us and make us bitter, selfish, and stagnated; or better, selfless, and matured. Hurt people easily get stuck in a mindset of bitterness and continue the cycle of hurting others. Through empathy, we can stop the cycle by helping others get through the pains of life as we share ours.

To shed my self-centredness: By putting myself in their shoes. There are usually more opportunities to help others if we would only take the time to really see them and their needs: “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being” (1Cor.10:24).

To live to help others: “Bear one another’s burden, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal.6:2); “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phi.2:4); “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Heb.13:16). Jesus modelled this: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (Jh.15:13).

To live at peace and in harmony with others: Patient with them; bear with them as they learn one step at a time. God didn’t give up on us so why give up on others?

To not judge others harshly; even if their actions are wrong, but look with compassion at their whys for doing it.

To teach others, share with them, encourage and spur them on, edify and build them up. God designed us to love, care, share, build up, and be gracious and grateful.

To forgive others, even when they don’t ask for forgiveness; letting go of all grievances for God to sort them out (Eph.4:32).

In general, most people only help others when: It’s their friend or family; it’s convenient for them; they’re in a good mood; or they expect something in return. By the help of the Holy Spirit, we can LOVE FROM the HEART at all times; not do random acts of kindness only when we’re feeling good.