Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #16 2/27/16

Dail Devotion #16

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

As we finish up this week’s devotions, which follow up on last Sunday’s sermon dealing with our sense of self or will, we take another verse from the story of the Good Samaritan. When Jesus was asked by a religious leader about the requirements for inheriting eternal life Jesus asked him what was written in the law. The verse above is the man’s answer which includes Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. I want to narrow our focus to the second part of the verse which directly quotes Leviticus 19:18 because there is an implication that is easily overlooked due to Jesus’ constant emphasis on how we treat others. The “love your neighbor” part sounds like quintessential Jesus. But, the whole phrase says not only that we are to love our neighbors, but also how we are to love them. And how are we to love our neighbors? As we love ourselves. The implication is unmistakable and emerges clearly when we think it through. Everything we know about Jesus indicates that he wants us to treat others with respect and dignity. That means if we are to love others and our selves the same way, we must treat ourselves with respect and dignity, too. On the surface the idea seems to be based on the assumption that everyone loves themselves and we always want the best for ourselves. But is that really true? A quick survey of our culture reveals widespread drug and alcohol abuse, troubling suicide statistics, and a disturbingly high percentage of folks who need anti-depressants to find stability for daily living. Though the sociological and psychological dynamics behind these phenomena are complex, it isn’t a stretch to conclude that there are a lot people who just don’t feel very good about themselves. The hurt that accompanies being treated thoughtlessly by others, the deep anguish of abuse, and the guilt stemming from our own self-inflicted failures can cause us to have a painfully low opinion of ourselves.

Does this describe you to one degree or another? Is your sense of self stunted or deformed due to deeply rooted emotional trauma that has created collateral damage in your soul? There is good news, you know. Jesus came to restore to full glory the faint traces of the image of God with which we were all created. God loves you, desperately, and wants you to sense that love in the deepest recesses of your heart. God cares deeply about your wounded self that needs the tender touch of loving savior. If you have tried but just can’t seem to give yourself a break because of life events within and beyond your control, maybe it’s time to seek help. There are wonderful counselors who can help you find perspective and a path forward. But above all else, there is a Wonderful Counselor who gave up his life so that you could find life beyond your wildest dreams. Jesus loves you and me just as we are and has committed all the resources of heaven and earth to lead us toward the best version of us possible.

Prayer

Loving Savior, I long to love me the way you love me. Open the eyes of my heart to a new way to see myself and accept the love you died to give me. In your name, amen.