“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets”

Matthew 7:12

God commands us to care for each other as we care for ourselves, it is the intrinsic nature (essence) of all the laws. It’s about love. When you treat someone as you do yourself, you can only do it out of love. To truly care and look out for someone the way we do for ourselves isn’t easy because we are somewhat taught to only look out for “me, myself and I.” However, through the love of God its possible, and really as a Christian, you don’t have a choice.

A command from God is non-negotiable and there is alway a reason for it, He wants to project His love go the world through our actions. Christ for sure loved as He loved Himself or even more. He left Heaven and all its comfort not just to be like us but to suffer an extremely painful and humiliating death. I am not saying that we need to be crucified for the sake of other people because Christ has already done that. However, when you begin to understand that you are alive and was sent to earth to fulfil God’s will and not your own, you will understand the great importance of these commandments. It makes sense that Christ would preach so much about love and give us guidelines and instructions in order to see His Father’s will fulfilled on earth.

It is important to remember that we do not love each other because we deserve it but because Christ demands it. We are not deserving of Jesus’s sacrifice, neither are we deserving of anything Jesus has done for us but He did it out of love. So, now He needs us to go and spread, preach and show this love to the world. We are the body of Christ, we are the vessels that He uses to touch people’s lives and saves them, and that is why you have to love and care for each other as you do yourself, people are waiting for that love.

If you are struggling to love yourself. In that situation start with loving God. Loving God first will help you to love His creation you, understand His love for you and help you love others.

Colossians 3:12, 1 John 3:17-19, Matthew 25:34-40