Take a look at this: Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is the command to love God with all of your being. This is the greatest commandment - this one is the big one! You don't want to not do this one. Jesus is saying that loving God with all that you are - your entire self - is paramount. But, look at what he says next...
"The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus says that this commandment is the second greatest - in other words, this is the second commandment that you want to be sure and do; you don't want to miss this one either. Then, he makes this puzzling statement: the second greatest commandment is like the first one. The word "like" means the same as. Jesus is saying that loving my neighbor as myself is the same as loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
So, the answer to "How does one love God?" is: Love your neighbor as yourself.
And the answer to "How do I love myself?" is: With all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Let's make it more practical: If I need a new shirt, do I go and buy myself a used one or a hand-me-down? No, I buy a new shirt. If I'm hungry, I feed myself as much as I want. If my heart desires to become a nurse, I seek out the fulfillment of that desire. If I desire to go somewhere I like, I find a way to get there and I go. Whatever I desire or need, I with-hold nothing from myself. Jesus says, "Love your neighbor in the same way, just like that."
In Isaiah 58:10, God says, "Give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed."
Love your neighbor, just like that.
But, let's not miss this: Jesus says that when we love our neighbors just like that, we are also loving God just like that.
Oh, may we so live and so love that, when others ask, "What does love look like?" Someone (maybe even God himself) will point at us and say, "Just like that."
I want to live and love...
Just like that.
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