Love Conquers All: Love Conquers Rejection
And the second [commandment] is like [the first]: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:39
Recommended Reading: Galatians 5:14
Jesus had a way of making the complex simple. For example, He taught with parables that contained cultural references easily understood by His listeners. When it came to simplifying the enormous code of Old Testament laws, He reduced the approximately 613 down to two: Love God (the first four of the Ten Commandments) and love others (the last six of the Ten Commandments) (Matthew 22:34-40).
Unlike the first of the two (“Love God”), Jesus added an explanatory note to the second: “Love your neighbor as [you love] yourself” (Matthew 22:39). That addition immediately raises the question, How do we love ourselves? In healthy terms, we don’t reject ourselves. We don’t have bias or prejudice towards ourselves based on color or creed. We accept ourselves for who we are—the creation of God in His image. When we deviate from that standard when relating to others, we have failed to love others as we love ourselves.
Is there anyone in your life you have rejected for a reason you wouldn’t apply to yourself? If you haven’t rejected yourself, don’t reject others. As you love and care for yourself, so love and care for others.
Faith is our acceptance of God’s accepting us.
Adrian Rogers
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