Love your neighbor as yourself?
A long time ago I thought that love was something that you reserved for some special set of people that you had judged worthy of it. After a while I got to thinking about what Jesus had said about turning the other cheek and loving our neighbor I put the two together and realized that he had made no exceptions in these statements. It became obvious to me that he intended that we exclude no one from the love that we are supposed to be giving. I started thinking about my idea of love and suddenly realized that I had not been loving anyone at all. I had simply been judging everyone and every thing. Judging someone worthy of love is not love, it is only judgment. I actually started to cry when I realized this. I saw just how much of my life I had wasted being judgmental, thinking of myself as a Christian, when I was actually doing just the opposite of what Jesus had asked us to do. I thought about the verse judge not lest ye be judged, and I understood it for the first time. I realized that I have a lot of catching up to do. So many opportunities were wasted. I now try to apply the love that I have for the world in a universal way like Jesus asks us to do. If I start to feel afraid and think that I see someone that I should not love because of something I have thought or heard I try to catch my mistake as soon as possible. I tell myself that I have forgot the truth and have fallen for the same old trick that had cost me so many opportunities to be loving in the past. The horror of this realization is often all that is necessary to bring me back to my senses and make me drop the judgmental nonsense I was thinking. I still have a lot to learn about love, but at least I’m making progress. Love and blessings Your brother don
Would "Love God and love your neighbor" really be the only laws needed?
These are the only Laws we need : : 1. Do NOT give opinions or advice unless you are asked. 2. Do NOT tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them. 3. When in another's lair, show him respect or else do NOT go there. 4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy. 5. Do NOT make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal. 6. Do NOT take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved. 7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained. 8. Do NOT complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself. 9. Do NOT harm little children. 10. Do NOT kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food. 11. When walking in open territory, bother NO ONE. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, DESTROY HIM.
Below is an example of how to love your neighbor and a true story.One day I was quietly working outside on a right of way that is shared with a neighbor. These neighbors purchased our first home and our two houses are approximately 750 feet from each other separated by a large hill and forest.My neighbor approached me and gave me a verbal list of things that we could do for her. My husband and I had maintained a portion of the right of way that we didn’t own but were being “good” neighbors to them. She intended to “make” us conform to her every desire.I already knew a Jezebel spirit controls this person so I continued to work with my rake. This spirit intends to dominate and take over no matter how hurtful they can be to others. She is accompanied in life by an Ahab (her husband). An Ahab submits to the Jezebel spirit at all costs and has been stripped of authority as a man. Read about them in I and II Kings.She wasn’t getting anywhere with me as I told her to contact my husband who can put her in place in about 1 minute (I also knew she would never ask a man for anything). She returned to her house (our old house), whirled around, came down the hill and said she forgot to tell me that she wanted to remove the rocks around our signpost. She said she didn’t like mowing over them (actually she was mowing around the sign and rocks). When I told her to do what she wanted, not saying it was okay, she asked again to get my permission. I told her I had answered her question. She had un-nerved me but I didn’t lash out at her. She left but had done the damage she intended.I have a tender heart and prophetic calling. This is the type of person that a Jezebel Spirit attacks. In this case, this woman exists to always get her way, and hates men in the process. Until she deals with her own spirituality there will be no spiritual growth and until she surrenders to Jesus there will be no salvation. A Jezebel Spirit is a dangerous spirit. She has been called the Black Widow because she literally sucks the life out of people.Even when we are to love our neighbor, we do not have to bow to them. A righteous person will walk away from strife at all costs, and pray for their enemy. This situation helped me to grow more in love and to be able to give people to God who intend to do harm. I was so glad that God closed my mouth so I stayed silent when my insides were seething and my flesh wanted to engage in verbal combat. Thank you, Lord!
If Jews & Christians are told to "love your neighbor as yourself," is it important then to love yourself?
Interesting. This would start with what Jesus Christ said; the greatest commandment is to love your God with all of your heart and all of your soul (life). Loving your God with all of your heart and all of your soul requires that you do His Word, as in keeping yourself clean from sin - i.e., the hateful and hurtful things of this world. It takes time and effort to accomplish that.... BUT, once you approach this (no one is perfect, obviously), then not only love for God grows in you, but love for all of creation does as well. This includes your neighbor... BUT, the love for yourself must come first. If there are/is anger and hate flowing through you, then love is not possible. Not of God, which is first, and certainly not for yourself. This is where so much self-destructive behavior comes from. So, yes, it is very important to love yourself. Without that love, really, you are dead in the water waiting for all things bad to happen, and pretty much convinced that they will. If you wish to see my philosophy of life, this paper, posted in Scribd.com, pretty well spells it out; The Most Wonderful Thing in the World
Jesus said to "love your neighbor as yourself." But if I'm self-loathing, can I still hate the putz?
I live in a small town, of about 490 people, the neighbor across the street has a small farm, mind you this is the middle of town. She has goats, rabbits ,chickens,Ginny fowl, geese,ducks. 11 dogs last count,,,Cats,lost count, and the smell from it all especilly now that the weather is warm, is to much. And lets not forget the rooster who thinks the streetlamp is the sun coming up and crows 24/7.. I just LOVE her,,,,
Christians and Atheists: do you love your neighbor more than you love yourselves?
i'm going to purely pass question by making use of question right here: a million. confident, truthfully all human beings regardless of their coloration or creed must be taken care of as equivalent. we are all created in comparable to God, and nevertheless incorrect with the aid of sin, we are a mirror of God's perfection. 2. you suspect what you suspect, and if those different religions have opposite ideals, then they are incorrect on your eyes, whether you're good or no longer. the international has fallen right into a fashion of "each thing/all human beings is stable," whilst for sure, that's no longer conceivable. 3. i do no longer look down on non-believers. you're continuously going to have judgmental types, even exterior of faith. The judgmental non secular human beings only get all the attention. 4. No, that is no longer taken out of context. Peer-tension, whether intentional or no longer, is a ultimate tension. Jesus mentioned to no longer be unequally yoked so as that followers do no longer fall far flung from him whilst married to somebody who the two does not have faith in God, or believes in a different god. Extremism exists everywhere, no longer purely in faith, so i do no longer see that as a valid excuse to forget approximately on the subject of the Bible... 5. confident, yet you could disagree with somebody and nevertheless love them (i.e. homosexuality. I thoroughly disagree with that lifestyle yet nevertheless love them by way of fact returned, they are equivalent in God's eyes) 6. we are meant to be "in" the international, no longer "of" the international. I do a particularly stable activity of partaking in "worldly" issues and have no issue pertaining to to my friends, yet on the comparable time i do no longer partake in activities that pass against my morals. in case you have a issue with that, then this is your fault. all human beings attracts the line in a different way, and in case you spot that as inflicting friction you're doing no longer something yet judging them. 7/8. We do combination with different human beings, yet returned, we don't cohere to specific existence. warfare of words is a actuality of existence. Jesus for sure disagreed with the way issues have been being run, and he's God, so i individually do no longer see a issue with warfare of words.
Love your neighbor AS yourself...?
========== Reply to JD:: That is not what he said. While respect for others is created when the deeper understanding of this phrase is known, this is not what he said. However, this way of thinking is also just as valid.;-) Reply to sassinya:: You're first line almost touched upon the clarity of his words. You then moved out into individuality. Which, of course, is not wrong at all, but still I believe there to be a deeper meaning here... We are all the same... why? Reply to jkross11:: Man should always love himself, but is there really anything outside himself for him to love less, or more? We are getting deeper here... Keep digging... Reply to Muhammad Ali:: You didn't touch upon the question of WHY he said "AS Yourself"... That was my question. Just like Islam, many religions teach this same premise in different words.... We must not just see the teachings, but BE the teachings.
Why did jesus say "love your neighbor" when he even hated people and damned people to hell?
Justice and Mercy: Justice can not rob mercy and mercy can not rob justice. All of the legislation that rule the universe, adding God's commandments have rewards and punishments attatched to them. Jesus didn't sin. That is how and why he has the correct to pay for our sins and feature "Justice" truthfully owe him anything in go back...for he lived a ideal lifestyles. Therefore, once we stand earlier than God to be judged, Jesus can say in our behalf, "I have paid for the sins that this guy has dedicated, and he's indebted to me, to not the legislation, for the needs of the legislation were met. This guy has paid the fee I have requested of him. He has repented of the sins that he dedicated." Just a word: If the sinner didn't repent, then justice might no longer be met, and he might ought to pay the fee attatched for committing that sin. There is a pleasant parable within the New Testament that explains it even greater. It is the only approximately the younger guy who obtained himself in debt, and while his creditor got here to acquire he didn't have the money. The younger guy begged the creditor to forgive him and feature mercy. The creditor mentioned that mercy used to be so one sided that it best served the younger guy, and used to be unfair to him. The younger guy's pal stepped in, and provided to pay the debt in order that the younger guy might no longer be thrown into prison. He advised the creditor that the debt had consequently been paid, and that he will have to be convinced. Both the younger guy and the creditor had been pleased. One had recieved Mercy, the opposite Justice. But what approximately the pal? Why did he do it? For love of the younger guy. The younger guy then owed his pal. As all of us owe our Savior, for paying our money owed! P.S. I don't suppose that we can all be forever damned eternally for committing more than a few sins. Their is a fee attatched to each and every kind of sin dedicated and lots of kingdoms wherein to are living in heaven. Just like down right here, a few areas to are living are greater than others. I suppose that it's us who will think forever damned when you consider that we might have attained so a lot more if we might have simply repented and adopted our Savior's instance.
The Bible says to love your neighbor as yourself, but if I'm self-loathing can I still hate the putz?
I found this hard too. And still struggle at times with it. You see we are to and as we allow Him further into our lives, we will become more and more like Jesus. And Jesus loved us soo much, He layed down His life3 for us. And forgave not only our sins, but every-ones, for the asking. Jesus Loved Himself. It is healthy to Love yourself, as in respect and know your self worth and what price was paid for you, and that however you look or what your singing voice is like, God Loves it because He made us that way. People put values on things God doesn't. And a bad upbringing can cause low self esteem, nervousness, panic attacks etc But Jesus took the lashes for your healing Darl, So can I please suggest to you, as I will pray right now too, that you will find a same sex, as you don't give away whether you are male or female, and ask them (in the Pastoral team to help you. Don't be afraid, because this is what God wants and what they would want too. You know, How bouts, we do it together? It's been a roughly 20 yrs, well I never finished any counseling, not for not wanting to reasons either! Why don't we get in touch, only if you want and talk some more, Yeah?