“ And the Second is Like it! ”

And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:39-40 MKJV)

You may remember, in a previous daily devotion we discussed the first and great commandment that Jesus is continuing with in Matthew 22:39-40 above. The first and great commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind. (Matthew 22:35-38) We are now writing about this second commandment that Jesus spoke of. (See “The First and Great Commandment” in Dewey Fox’s messages)

Jesus said; the second commandment is like the first and great, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If you love God with all your heart, soul and heart and love your neighbor as yourself you have kept the law as commanded by God. Jesus didn’t say, “Love your neighbor if you want to or it’s okay not to love your neighbor if he has done you wrong.” Jesus didn’t put any qualifications that you could disobey this commandment about loving your neighbor. You are to love your neighbor. Who is your neighbor? We may cover this in a later devotion, but for now, the short version is; EVERYONE you come in contact with.

“Sometimes our enemies are our neighbors.” G. K. Chesterton wrote in Leadership, vol. 9, no. 2; “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies: probably because they are generally the same people.” Yes, sometimes your neighbors are your enemies. The first thing we do when someone has wronged us is to think bad or harsh of them. That is the devil’s way of thinking, not God’s. It hard, and I know it is hard to love someone that has wronged us, but we have all had someone do this to us. But life is short. As the saying goes, “It won’t make a difference in 100 years from now.” So why make your life miserable. “Love and be set free from all your hatred and sin.”

Next time your neighbor wrongs you, try the love response.

J. Allen Petersen relates the story of a newspaper columnist and Minister George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. “I do not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has me.”

Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan “Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you’ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, and then drop the bomb. Tell him that you’re getting a divorce. That will really hurt him. “With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, “Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised?” And she did it with enthusiasm. Acting “as if.” For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, and sharing. When she didn’t return, Crane called. “Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?”

“Divorce?” she exclaimed. “Never! I discovered I really do love him.” Her actions had changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. The ability to love is established not so much by fervent promise as often repeated deeds.

No matter who has wronged you, try the love tactic instead of the hate tactic. Remember, and some time today read Matthew 22:35-40, these are the words of Jesus, not mine, I’m only the messenger.

Love that unlovable neighbor,

Brother Dewey E. Fox