Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
MARK 12:31 NKJ
31 "And the second, like it, is this: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Eight times the Bible tells us to love our neighbor as we love our self.
Clearly, God considers this important. But what does it mean?
It means we should not just look out for our own interests, but also for those around us.
PHILIPPIANS 2:4 NKJ
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Who is our neighbor?
Anyone -- and everyone -- who is near-by. If they are near us they are, at that moment, our neighbor. And according to God's Word, we have an obligation to love them.
What does this word "love" mean in the original Greek language of the New Testament.
It is "agapao," the word used of the kind of love God has for us. It gives and asks for nothing in return. It gives without waiting for the other person to love first. It is not a selfish love, but cares about the welfare and happiness of the person being loved.
To truly love your neighbor as yourself, you need to be a born again child of God. Love is of God, and to show this kind of love you need to be born of God (1 John 4:7). Without His love continually flowing out of your heart, it will not be possible.
