Love OTHERS AS MUCH AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF
We began the series with quite a few episodes talking about God’s commandments but haven’t spoken about them for a while.
Today’s episode brings us back to some of the commandments as we talk about prioritising others as much as ourselves.
Bible Passage: Exodus 20:13-17
“Do not murder.
Be faithful in marriage.
Do not steal.
Do not tell lies about others.
Do not desire to possess anything that belongs to another person—not a house, a wife, a husband, a slave, an ox, a donkey, or anything else.”
Would you murder yourself? NO!
Would you steal from yourself? NO!
Would you lie to yourself? NO!
If the answer is yes, then press stop now because this episode goes on assuming that you love yourself. Most of us do, but there are a few who neglect themselves. (I might need to do an episode on loving ourselves, which is not out of the question, because many people don’t love themselves or hesitate to put themselves down.)
This episode is assuming that you love yourself, much like Jesus does when he says:
Bible Passage: Matthew 22:39
“Love others as much as you love yourself.”
What do you think?
WHO AM I?
I am in the Bible but I am not a Jew
I am a character in one of Jesus’ most famous parables
I helped a sick and beaten Jew on the side of the road
I tended to his wounds, put him on my donkey and took him to an inn for the night
I paid the innkeeper to look after the man because I had to go away
I am from Samaria
I am THE GOOD SAMARITAN
The Good Samaritan loved his neighbour as he would love himself.
Jesus wants us to love others like that. Put ourselves out for others. Let it cost something to us - money or time or energy. We would spend those things on ourselves, let’s spend those things on others too!
Most of us prioritise ourselves, and make sure we get the best seat at the dinner table, make sure we get the biggest helping, make sure we are first in the line, make sure that the teacher picks us for the fun activities or to share in class. It’s our default.
But Jesus wants us to love others just as much as we love ourselves. He wants us to consider others just as much as we consider ourselves. That is to be our default setting too.
We look after ourselves, make sure we are clean and healthy and well dressed, well entertained and we try to give ourselves fun experiences. How can we do that for others as well?
Bible Passage: Philippians 2:3-4
“Consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourselves.”
Each of us has a different capacity. Capacity just means the amount that something can produce of contain. If you love yourself a little bit, and look after yourself just a bit, then love others that much. If you have the capacity to dote on yourself and spoil yourself, then do that for others too! If you are a child then it is harder to spoil yourself. It is also harder to love others too, as you are limited by your size and abilities. Get good at loving yourself, and increase the amount you can love others too!
Story Time!
Missionaries, Kate and Rob, gave up 4 years of their lives in order to love others. They moved to the Middle East to share the love of Jesus with the locals.
We try hard to receive love. We go to lengths to get what we need. We want to be looked after, loved. We make sure we get it. Let’s try and make sure others get it too, just as much as we make sure we get it ourselves.
Question Time!
Discuss your capacity for loving yourself and whether you can love others like that.
What do you think is the most loving thing you can do for someone?
