Monday, November 8, 2021
Lord Jesus, Your greatest commandment is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul and all your mind . . . and the second commandment is love your neighbor [others] as yourself” (Matthew 22:38-39). Your love is unconditional. Of course, our sins broke Your heart, so You sent us Jesus who loved us enough to pay for our sin penalty. Lord God, You don’t just love—You are love, pure and undefiled.
These truths make loving You so easy. It’s the second commandment I grapple with. You tell me to “Love my neighbor?” Okay, I get that, but the “as I love myself?” part forces me to confront what lies within myself. Lord, why did you put conditions on how I am to love? When the enemy of my soul prompts me to do a self-examination, he reminds me of unwise decisions and bone-headed choices I’ve made. And these are repeated behaviors, so I struggle to love myself, to forgive myself. You see how forgiving myself presents a challenge.
“Pay no attention to that lying devil,” You command. “He’s a loser but you aren’t. I know all about your mistakes and your monumental blunders,” Your Spirit whispers. “Yet my grace covers them all. I want you to love what I love—I love you!”
That’s humbling. But that’s comforting too.
“Give yourself some grace. You’ll see it is much easier to love your neighbor.” Loving myself and my neighbor as never before. Amen.
THANKFUL 
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