Love is the final measure of our faith. It’s the closest we can come to the heart of God. It’s the best way we can communicate the Logos—the Lord Jesus Christ—to the world around us. That’s the greatest trademark secret of all. We are known by our love.
Jesus advised us in the so-called Golden Rule, “Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (Matthew 7:12). He also taught us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39, quoting Leviticus 19:18). Over the years, when I have followed his instruction, I have discovered this pattern: when I love my neighbor as myself, I love myself more. This enables me to love my neighbor more, which enables me to love myself more. And on the pattern goes.
But what if this pattern is not a coincidental product of chaotic chance but one dimension of our Creator’s design for us and our world?
