Most Loving Lord, true service begins on the inside, in the heart, before it can ever show up on the outside, in my mind and body. If it does, I can replicate Your love and fairness in my dealings with others. If my relationship with You is right, then my relationship with others will be right also. When my heart has been cleansed and reconciled, I begin to see things differently and act differently. I am permitted to hate discrimination, abortion, child abuse and when You are dishonored, but not those who do them. I’ve found that discord stirs up resentment but love covers a multitude of wrongs. I have tried to please You in all kinds of ways, but You have made Your wishes clear … You want me to be fair … You want me to be merciful … You want me to be humble … You want me to be caring … and, You want me to be tenderhearted. These are the things You require of me as a follower.
You summed up the whole of the law with two commands … love God with all my heart and love my neighbor as myself. The second command is harder to do when others treat me badly, take advantage of me, talk about me behind my back and mislead me with falsehoods. Your instruction to love and not retaliate prevents me from taking the law into my own hands. By loving and praying for others, Your hope and mine, is that evil will be overcome by good. By treating those who treat me badly with kindness, I show them Your love and how much I love you. Loving like You do … unconditionally … is only possible as I give myself more fully to You. I ask that the Holy Spirit help me show love to those to whom I do not naturally feel love for. In the same way that You were willing to turn the other cheek, I must be willing to do the same thing if I am to follow in Your footsteps.
The essence of Your love is to be selfless and that is what I am called to be. Instead of demanding my rights, I must be willing to give them up freely. In actuality, it is more important to be fair and merciful than to receive it. Rather than worrying about what I should not be doing, a better way is to focus on all I can do to show my love for You and others. I must learn to allow Your thoughts and ways to permeate my thoughts, decisions and actions. When I am uncertain about how to act/react toward another, I must ask myself “which course of action best demonstrates love for You and others?” True obedience is a matter of the heart and, if mine belongs to You, it will be easier to act in love. Your command to love my neighbor does not require that I have a deep affection for those who abuse me, but I am required to make a conscious decision to act in a loving way, so I’ll do that. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Matthew 22:39 “And the second is like it: Love Your neighbor as yourself.”