The value of a person – part 2
In our previous blog we compared God’s standards and ours regarding how we value other people.
God has a high standard: There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10-18). However, God does not value us according to our faults, but according to His love for us. He wants us to do likewise.
Our relationships are important to God. In the Sermon on the Mount, among other things, God teaches us that He values each person in such a way that:
- Offending another person can expose us to hell (Matthew 5:22)
- He will not accept our offering until we have reconciled with those who have something against us (Matthew 5:23-24). This doesn’t refer to money, but to voluntary sacrifice offerings (worship) and mandatory (forgiveness).
- He asks us to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who abuse and persecute us, so that we will be recognized as their children (Matthew 5:44-48). God didn’t deny our enemies salvation (he died for them too). Nor does he deny them their daily blessings. God wants us to imitate him.
His most important commandments provide us with a guide on how to value other people:
You shall love the Lord your God with [everything]…You shall love your neighbor as yourself – Matthew 22:36-40
Living like this seems difficult, but we can achieve it if we follow the order established by God.
- The priority and intensity of our lives must be focused on loving God.
- Only then we will be able to love ourselves the right way.
- By loving God and ourselves, then we will be able to love other people as He has loved us.
By loving and valuing other people we become participants in the prayer “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Then we will be recognized as children of God (Matthew 5:45) and perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).
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