Matthew 22:33-40

Love your neighbour as yourself

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 neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37–40)
The greatest commandment appears in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, highlighting just how central it is to our faith. This Sunday, I would like to focus on the second commandment: Love your neighbour as yourself.

To truly love others, we must first learn to love ourselves. God loved us first; we are already loved and valued. Developing the ability to love ourselves enables us to extend that love to others.

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ (Mt 22:39)

Loving ourselves begins with recognising our identity in God — we are redeemed by His precious blood, reborn, saved, and made new. Because of this, we should cherish our lives, treat ourselves with kindness, maintain our physical, mental, and spiritual health, guard our hearts above all else, and cultivate a joyful, grateful spirit along with a strong, healthy body.
How can we love ourselves well? There are three key relationships to nurture: with God, with ourselves, and with others.

With God
Place God, who created and loves you, first in your life. “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.” (Psalm 28:7, NIV) Joy and strength come from God, so cultivate a deep and meaningful relationship with Him — draw near daily, delight in His Word, and reflect on His works.

With Yourself
Live in a healthy, balanced way. Develop good habits in diet and lifestyle, maintain a positive mindset, accept your imperfections, avoid people and situations that drain you, treasure the present moment, and engage in activities that bring joy, peace, and well-being. Encourage, affirm, and believe in yourself. Live fully and richly.

With Others
Show care and compassion to those around you. Build sincere, trusting relationships. During difficult times, it is a blessing to have people who walk alongside you — sharing your burdens, listening, supporting, and encouraging you. Together, you can navigate challenges and restore strength and hope.
This is a simple guide to practising self-love. When we love ourselves well, we can love others in the same way — as we love ourselves.
A lack of understanding of love often shows in neglect, indifference, pride, selfishness, judgment, harshness, betrayal, or prejudice — all of which grieve God.
Every person needs to be loved, respected, understood, affirmed, encouraged, and supported. How, then, do we truly love others as ourselves? The answer is simple: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This is Jesus’ teaching and command.
In summary: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbour as ourselves is the way of life. Without following God’s ordained commandments, all other efforts are ultimately in vain.