We do not have a self-love problem.
In fact, the problem is we have too much of that.
Jesus tells us in John 13:34-35, “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples- when they see the love you have for each other.”
It’s our love that we show to one another that sets us apart.
Jesus’ prayer the night He was seized in the garden in John 17 is so precious. I love this part, “I have made Your very being known to them- who You are and what You do- and continue to make it known, so that Your love for Me might be in them exactly as I am in them.”
Another place in the Word where Jesus shares about true love is in Mark 11:29-31, “Jesus said, “The first importance is, ‘Listen Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”
And again in Romans 13:10, “Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.”
This is preaching that goes right alongside the self-love movement, right? Wrong.
Jesus knew we didn’t need any help loving ourselves.
The self-love movement is the self-centered movement. The two phrases are synonymous.
I think we can all agree that Jesus lived His life on earth far from self-centered.
Loving God- as Jesus says we are to do very first even before ourselves- means also hating the things God hates.
The Enemy has never had one merciful day in his life. He’s not sorry for what he’s done and he never will be. He’d be happy as a clam for us to fall for self-love and have blind eyes to anyone’s needs but our own.
It’s tough when you pray for your heart to break for what breaks God’s. Beware! He can soften hearts like none other. Eyes will be opened to the hurt all around you every single day.
But, this eye-opening, soft-heartening experience allows us to do things for the Kingdom like we never would have before.
Self-love is a trap.
It’s blanketed with simply taking care of yourself but it goes much deeper than that.
Soul-care is real. Our minds and emotions need attention- what we’re watching, what we’re listening to, and the thoughts we’re dwelling on.
Philippians 4:8, “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious- the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies.”
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