How Can We Love Our Neighbor?

The second of the 2 greatest commandments is to love your neighbor as yourself. What does this mean and how can we do this?

Jesus said the second of the two great commandments was to love your neighbor as yourself. This sounds very simple!  

What does this mean? And how can we do it?

It is a great general principle because it can apply to almost any human situation. How would we like to be treated in any given situation? Wouldn't we like people to extend kindness to us -- to be generous to us -- to have mercy on us -- to speak truth to us -- to encourage us?  

You don't need a giant set of rules to figure this one out; just think how you would like someone to treat you in a situation, and ask God to help you treat others in that same way!

The problem is that we tend to be selfish, and so we think much more about ourselves than others. And then, when we try to do good things for others, our self-centeredness and sin can still get in the way. So even in loving others, the path to true success is to ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit and to love people through us with His love!  

Ask God to give you His compassion, patience, wisdom, and courage in loving others. Allow Jesus Christ to live His life through you here on earth -- and let the love of Christ flow through you to those around you.