Loving God, yourself and Others

We need to Love God Completely, ourselves correctly and we should love others compassionately. 

Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Loving others, now that’s often the hard part of life.

I had a pastor friend say to me years ago that he would have loved the ministry, if not for the people.  But people are our ministry, and they are either family (brothers and sisters) to love and encourage or they are the lost to love and evangelize.

John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Mark 10:43-45 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

 Now the essence of greatness in following Jesus is to be the servant (not doormat) of all.

John 13:13-15 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

We have all we need in Christ to love and serve others… but will we?

Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Ephesians 1:19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Philippians 2:3-8 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

Lastly, let me mention that often a huge component of loving others involves forgiveness. 

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

As you and I have been forgiven in Christ, so we in turn forgive others.  Is this not a key component in the kingdom of God, to freely give what we have freely received?  Like children we follow Jesus and we learn to share.