Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:36-40 (KJV)

We must value people for who they are. We must see people the way God does. God sees people with eyes of love. He wants to bless them, love them and be in relationship with them for who they are. We must be willing to do the same, loving people for who they are and not what they can do.

When we see people the way God does, we won’t take advantage of them or use them for our own personal gain. We will want to give more than take. And we won’t see them as objects to use to get what we can get out of them. And we won;t desire to be in relationship with them because of what they can do to benefit us, such as connecting us with people who can promote us. Promotion comes from God, not man (Psalm 75:6-7).

Instead of seeing people through the lens of selfish gain and self-promotion, look to see what you can do for them. Seek ways to be a blessing to them. Even if people take advantage of your goodness, consider any loss as seed sown to God. God will work on your behalf and you will receive a great reward (Romans 12:9-21)

Loving people for who they really are brings freedom to relationships and creates a healthy environment for each of us to grow. To be the greatest, look to serve rather than to be served. Look to give instead of trying to get all the time. Be the first to reach out, the first to apologize, the first to make peace.

As we put others first, God will take care of us. The greatest commandment, without a doubt, still is to love God, love people, and love yourself.