Mark 12:31 – Love your neighbor as yourself
Gandhi once famously said, ‘be the change you want to see.’ Jesus first captured this idea in telling His followers to ‘love their neighbor as themselves.’ How would you like others to treat you? That is how we should be treating others.
Human beings are imitators by nature. Parents know this better than anybody. We can never tell our children, ‘do as I say and not as I do’ and get away with it. Children will follow our example.
As Christians, Christ has come to imitate the way of God for us to follow. If we want to see the world around us improve its behavior, we must go first. We must show the way whether we’re feeling others merit it or not. For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We can either stop the downward spiral of gossip, slander, insult, violence and the like or we can feed into it.
By God’s grace, we don’t have to be overcome by evil, but we can overcome evil with good. The fruit of the Spirit is patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Can you put your name in front of each one of those characteristics?
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us when we don’t deserve it. Thank you for awakening us to Christ’s way of love, joy, and peace. Help us to be imitators of you today, in Jesus name, Amen.