Healthy Living

Do this and you will live

by Janice S Ramkissoon 
11/04/23
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"Here's my simple rule when it comes to loving someone...

That someone has to be YOU."

That's a quote from our 'Marriage Blessings' desk calendar for the first day of November. I wanted to share it on the first day of the month but just now getting an opportunity to do so. Here's why I want to share:

Wrong teaching (though indirect) had me believing that statement was unbiblical. I grew up believing that such a statement is selfish at it's root. Then I read Luke 10:27 while preparing to speak at a ladies event in 2019. It was then it came to my understanding that it is scriptural and a very Godly thing to do.


‘When Jesus was asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" He responded with:

"What is written in the law? How do you read it?"

The expert in the law answered:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind"; and, "Love your neighbour as yourself."

‘You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied. 'Do this and you will live.''

Wow! ‘Do this and you will live.’ How simple is that! That simple word ‘as’ makes such a difference! Focusing on the word ‘as’ in the passage, and equally in our lives, makes such a difference! When we understand what we are being asked to do, life can be so much more fruitful.

I was taught to love my neighbour. I grew up hearing and understanding that it is a good thing to love my neighbour; to share what I have with my neighbour. I often heard: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’  I now understand that to be a paraphrasing of Luke 6:31 and Matthew 7:12. All those statements point to the command being highlighted in Luke 10:27. Nevertheless, before reading this bible verse or knowing it existed, it was verbally being taught to me but only partially.

I was being told, encouraged or admonished to love my neighbour. Never was I told to love myself, it always stopped at ‘love thy neighbour.’ So I grew up with an incorrect view of that verse. Trying to live out that incorrect version of God’s Word, I came to a fork in the road and was forced to evaluate.

Reading Luke 10:27, it is clear to me that loving the Lord as a priority with all my heart, mind, soul and strength provide the source from which love flows to me and then from me to others.

Out of the love received from God I will love myself. Knowing how to care for me (loving myself) and practising that daily care of self, out of the abundance received from my heavenly Father, will flow love for all those I come in contact with.

‘Do this and you will live.’ How amazing!

God gave us the answer to the problem and yet so many of us continue walking in ignorance. What I am learning is that we often find it confusing or complicated when the training is missing. This is when the need for discipleship is most evident. Show me what to do and I will follow. If you simply tell me what to do, I may not comprehend and therefore not do what you assumed I have been equipped to do.

As a babe in Christ, I needed to be taught by example. Unfortunately, that was not the case and I grew up believing things to be truth when they were only partially true. I am now having to undo bad habits that has formed part of my character. It has been a painful and time consuming journey, trying to replace those beliefs that are simply unbiblical.

In summary, I’ve gathered from this verse that it is important to first know the love of God (Agape Love) in order to understand how truly loved we are. The love of God that transcends boundaries; Agape - shown by what it does (See Romans 5:8; John 3:16; 1 John 4:7-21; Ephesians 2:4-5). As we see our reflection in the mirror we can smile, knowing how loved we are as children of the Most High God (1 John 3:1). We get to call Him Abba, Father! (See Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).

Being confident in the love of our heavenly Father finds us beaming with love that simply cannot be contained. It is infectious! It oozes from us, infecting all who we come in contact with. This cannot be done in our own self-will. This is Agape Love which is enabled by the Holy Spirit living in us.

Experiencing God’s love, one cannot help but be obedient to His commands. One of those commands include rest (Ex. 8-11; Gen 2:2-3; Matthew 11:28-30). That time of rest involves self-care; caring for one’s spiritual, mental, emotional and physical well-being. When that is set in motion other areas of our lives will come in alignment with God’s will for our lives, relationally, financially, professionally and that will most definitely affect the way we do ministry.

Obeying the command to rest will find us healthier in every way. Truly that is what God desires for His children in coming to give us life in abundance!

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” Let us not allow him to keep robbing us of our joy! He has stolen more than enough from us, through our lack of understanding (Hosea 4:6).  Let us, therefore, heed the word of God so we can experience the abundant life (John 10:10b) that Jesus came to give us:

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”