Love your neighbor, the second of the great commands

This is a fascinating command as it is based on the first great command Love God. The realistic truth is we are unable to honestly love our neighbor if we first do not actually love God. Loving God to the degree needed to love our neighbors is not as easy as we might believe.

To love God enough to love our neighbors we first must actually believe God loves us enough to protect us against the results of loving our neighbors. So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 1 Thess 1:6. To receive Joy in spite of suffering is part of that love. But just how hard is it to love that deeply?

This level of love is a result of understanding the love we have received. God loves us to the degree that Jesus sacrificed Himself for us and has not changed that love. If He sacrificed Himself then due to love why would He love us less now? It is in understanding that love that permits us to love God and indeed trust Him enough to love others.

When we know that God’s love is firm and undeniable and truly dependable we are enabled and freed to actually love others enough to risk. Loving your neighbor is a risk and it is that risk that hinders most from reaching out. I believe that is why it is considered the second greatest commandment. Loving your neighbor carries with it the essential truth that only in Christ can we succeed, only in Christ can we love others to the degree needed to find Joy in the suffering that will come from loving our neighbors.

Many Christians have withdrawn their love not because they stopped caring about people entering hell but because they stopped finding the joy. James reminds us to count it all joy when we enter into trials. And let’s be honest loving others is often fraught with trials.

My prayer for all of us today is that we might let the love of God lead us to recognize the joy in suffering so that we might live out the second greatest command and in truth love our neighbors. Hell needs no more occupants, it is full enough.

Blessings