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.’
Matthew 22:37-39
Devotional Message
These aren’t two separate commandments but one unified truth about the nature of love itself. When you love God with your whole being, you naturally extend that same love to others because you recognize the divine presence in everyone you encounter. Love becomes not something you do but something you are.
Loving God with all your heart, soul and mind means holding nothing back—bringing your full authentic self into divine relationship. It’s not about perfection but about wholehearted engagement with the sacred. This complete love transforms every aspect of your existence, infusing ordinary moments with extraordinary meaning.
The revolutionary insight comes in the second part: love your neighbor as yourself. This assumes you’ve learned to love yourself, recognizing your own nature and inherent worth. When you see yourself through divine eyes—as beloved, precious and sacred—you naturally extend that same recognition to others.
Loving your neighbor as yourself becomes effortless when you realize there is no separation between you and others at the deepest level. The same divine essence that animates your life flows through every person you meet. How you treat others becomes how you’re treating God himself.
This love isn’t limited to those who are easy to love. It extends to difficult people, strangers, even those who oppose you. When you see through their physical bodies and as souls and creations of God, you recognize that everyone is doing their best from their current level of awareness and everyone is worthy of love regardless of their behavior.
Let’s Pray
Dear God, fill my heart with complete love for you and help me see your presence in everyone I meet. Teach me to love myself as your beloved child, so I can extend that same love to others. Remove any barriers that prevent love from flowing freely through me. Make me an instrument of your love in the world today. Amen.
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