Jesus said for us to love our neighbor like we love oursselves, can we love our

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   graceinusposted 12 years ago

   Jesus said for us to love our neighbor like we love oursselves, can we love our neighbor that much?
   
   I know how much I love myself. I think it goes without saying for all of us. Jesus told us to love our neighbor's with the same amount that we love ourselves. And what exactly defines our neighbor? Have you loved ANY neighbor that much?

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   Mr. Happyposted 12 years ago

   Everyone is my neighbor. The Lakota First Nation people use the term "Mitakuye Oyasin" - "All My Relations", which includes All people, All of our animal cousins, the standing people (Trees), Spirits, etc.
   
   Thus, I love everyone: Mitakuye Oyasin! We are All One; We are All connected: it is the Law of One.
   
   All the best to everyone!

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your answer Mr. Happy.
      P.S. Like your photo.

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   Daniel Akitaposted 12 years ago

   Loving your neighbour as yourself is a promise between you and your God. Once you make up your mind to hate evils, you will love them, even though they offended you. This is a sacrifice one have to make, belIevIng that you are not doing it for human beings, but God.

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Daniel Akita- I like your answer. Thank you

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   JThomp42posted 12 years ago

   Hello my friend,
             I think I know where this question has came from. I don't know if I believe in not loving the sin, but loving the sinner. Yes, I think this is what we must do in our lives. Everyone of us is a sinner, we must love one another as Jesus has commanded. This does not mean that we will agree with everyone's actions, and all will not agree with ours. I do think we must love the sinner and not the sin of the flesh. To "love thy neighbor as thy self" is very hard to do at times for us all I think. Do we strive to do so? Of course, as we strive to do what is pleasing to God in our daily walk with him. Will we fail at times, Of course. The flesh will fail. Thank God he has sent his son to save our souls that are bound to God for eternity. God bless you my friend!

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      JThomps42- I too have many sins and I love myself. With that said, we are to love other sinners too, looking past their sins, just like Jesus did. Thanks for your answer.

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      JThomp42posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You are very welcome my friend.

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   manatita44posted 12 years ago

   It is extremely difficult, but while serving here in a loving spirit, I wish to say that we do not all love ourselves. We tend to love our 'self' and not our 'Self' Loving our selves is an extremely positive quality and invokes the feeling from within to love others also without condition. The heart of the Saint bleeds even for the wild birds and flowers.
   Life mirrors what we are, and the greater our inner purity, that is to say, less hate, lust, deceit, selfishness, ego, attachments .... I could go on. But the less we harbor of these things, the more empathy and oneness we will feel for all God's children, our brothers and sisters: mankind. It is extremely difficult to make inner progress, without feeling that we should do unto others, as we wish for our selves. The heart must be receptive for the Higher Light to descend. Grace is very real, it is not a joke, but ingratitude and enmity, separation and division, keeps it at bay.
   
   Neighbour as demonstrated by Jesus with the good Samaritan story, is someone in need. We run into countless people with different needs every day. By the way, giving can be done on many planes: a smile, prayer, psychically, financially, physically .... there are countless ways.
   Finally, it is an insult to a Man who we say came and died to love and help us, if we cannot have an intense faith and believe in both Him and Paul when they ask us to be perfect and imitators of their lives. Difficult yes, but certainly possible and inevitable.. They lived to show us this.  Hope this helps.

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      manatita44- Thank you, I really like your answer. Your answer should give us all something to think about.

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   Ericdierkerposted 12 years ago

   I do not know where you get these great questions Graceinus. But keep it up.
   
   I worry for my congregation on this question. I know they try, I know they seek guidance to do it better. I know they accept it as a command. And I know they feel bad for not being able to do it. So that is not my problem here.
   
   The problem with so many of them is that they really do not completely love themselves. They do not really get how special and miraculous they all are. I think it is hard for them to really believe the are the children of God and perfect in their spirit.
   They make mistakes and get down on themselves. They get greedy and feel guilty. They have doubts and think that is sinful. I work at and try to convince just how wonderful they are, but I fail.
   And so it is that I never mention this scripture with out mentioning the other and greater commandment: John 13:33-35
   ’ so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
   
   I find by approaching it in this was we force ourselves to realize just How much the King loves all his children. From there we learn to love ourselves as He did. And then how much more may we love our neighbor.
   
   And so I answer, each man can do it and must do it. Because we still have to reach for loving them as Christ loves us.
   
   Thanks again buddy for a really cool question that required much thought. I shall dub you the great Question Preacher.

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Eric- I thanky you for your kinkd words. It is my hope that my question will provoke answers that come from one's heart. The geart thing about good answers is learning from them. When Jesus was questioned, His answers always came from the heart.

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   wmhoward4posted 12 years ago

   By making a habit of love, eventually we can get to the level Jesus strives for.

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      Ericdierkerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Truth. It is really cool that in ten years it gets easier.

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      wmhoward4- Yes I  agree, we mush strives for His level of loving others each any ever day. Thank you.

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   Deborah Sextonposted 12 years ago

   The thing is, if we hate our neighbor there is no way way we can truly love ourselves
   If we love ourselves we can't let hate into our hearts.
   People have pride and ego and think it is self love.

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      graceinusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Deborah- Thank you very much for your coment
      God Bless

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