Mark 12:31 “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
In today’s verse we get a different perspective on love, this time from Jesus instead of from Paul. But the wording used is exactly the same – Love your neighbor as yourself. The Greek form of love used in this sentence is once again agape. And by this point in the month, you have had that form in nearly every devotion, showing us just how important and all encompassing this divine love of God.
Agape is often described as the highest form of love, characteristic of God’s love for humanity, focusing on action and duty rather than mere feelings. Unlike philia/phileo (friendship) or eros (romantic love), agape is a choice to serve, even when it is difficult to do so. We can see how this description of God’s love is the most accurate and descriptive form of love that can be used and just why it is used so often when referring to loving others.
In nearly all of the devotions we have been instructed, if not commanded, to love others as Jesus loved us. If we are to emulate the love of God, we need to understand what is involved and just how great that love is. And we also need to remember that it is impossible for us to love others as God loved us because we are not God and we did not give our lives for the sins of the world. But with the Spirit, we can imitate God and do our best to choose self-sacrificial love for others.
Jesus tells us in this verse that the second commandment He gives is to love your neighbor as yourself. (The first commandment was to love God.) Love them as you love yourself. Yesterday we mentioned the fact that we care about meeting our own needs and surviving, and thus we care for ourselves. We should also care about the well-being of others and their needs. We need to consider them, caring for what is going on in their lives, coming alongside them in life and walking through those dark valleys together.
Love is the greatest commandment we can have. Loving God first and people next should be our goal in life. Doing this will fulfill the commandments Jesus gave us, the most important and greatest commandments of all.
Prayer: Lord, I want to love You first and foremost, and then I want to love my neighbor as myself. Show me how to do this each day. Amen
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