I would like to circle back around to the topic of the loving of self. I feel like I have explored intently the issue of love grown cold and how destructive it is to ourselves and our world. But all this cold love stems from the absence of loving God and loving self.
Love of Self
The Word commands us, “You are required to love God and love yourself whether or not another single soul on this earth loves you. Further, you then love your neighbor as yourself.” This is not just a biblical truth, it is a living principle and reality. And I know that all biblical truths are, but sometimes we need a reminder that it’s actuality and not merely theology.
The fact is simply that I can’t love you unless I love myself. It’s only to the degree that I love myself that I will ever show you love. And if I don’t love God, forget about it. My life is vanquished. Our love for God is reflected in our love for self. How can I love the God who created me and not love what He created? I can’t! So if I don’t love me, it is probably a huge indicator that I don’t love God either.
This world’s cold love stems from a failure to love God and self. Our cold love is the byproduct of our lack of love for God and self. We build hatred against ourselves and for the God who made us. We hate our bodies, our weakness, our limitations, our story and we blame it on Him. And from this chilling state of hatred, we proceed to ice the world with cold love. Sure, we can be worn down by the endless parade of evil’s increase, but as I stated at the beginning of this series of posts, the love for self and God can thrive even in the worst circumstances. I can remain intact and whole because of my commitment to love on the stage that God has set. I love my God and the “me” He has created.
Cold Love and Love of Self
Cold love doesn’t happen externally first, because it isn’t a reaction to my circumstances. It is the reflection of my internal dearth of love. This is why we must remain committed to LOVE our God and self, and then stem the tide of cold hearts and cold love. I’m required to love God and love myself whether or not another single soul on this earth loves me. And with this commitment, I will see the God who is Love manifest mightily in my life.
Only as you discover that you are a member of the Royal Family of God, can you really begin to love yourself and then love others. The Kingdom of God must expand our reality in order to understand our sonship and calling to manifest Love. The Kingdom ultimate is to treat(love) others as Jesus loves you! (Page 156, The Unshakable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person)
I should read this again and again. And again.
He has ‘FIRED’ it into us, His “Love Reigns”…only God, in spite of me. Everything in me weeps for the Joy of Him as I lay my face against His heart. Can we ‘ask’ even in such fury & be brought by Love to Rest in Him? My impossible…His piercing, pursuing power in Love. My life lay in a heap, despair, defeat, before i saw Reality…You Live Your Life in ‘me’. Loves stance & silence & stillness, a force even then, brought deepest cry in heart whispers, “Yes Lord”…yes to Who You Are, & who I’m not, & Who You… Read more »
John, I am so grateful for you and the LORD’s pursuit of HIS love to capture us. Yes, you have even spent time on this in the past, but I must need to be hounded by HIS love to correct and bring this need to love myself to the front of the battle. Your comments about how we can hate our bodies, YES, and we can also hate our lives. So again bless you for going so deeply into how important this is to the LORD and the new insight for me that it will bring in revival for the… Read more »
These past few years I been moving at different paces. Trying to find balance, happiness, fulfillment, and other qualities in myself. I been thru so much these last few years. It’s like one life changing event set the tone for the years that have followed up until now. I believe that the true meaning of life is to be happy of course. But to also love yourself and see that it’s something great that created you. Something that orchestrated your mind, body, and spirit. Something that gave you wisdom, imagination, and emotions. There are so many different religions and beliefs… Read more »
Hi John. This is very good, and well balanced in the way you presented it. It confirms something that has been on my heart lately, in how we see our bodies. Do we respect the body given us, and use it for His glory? Or do we treat it poorly, and/or sell it out for a cheap harlot price? Loving our self, will manifest in how we see and live in our physical manifestation of self. Does this make sense? I think there are several applications. But one I think of is women, who compromise their bodies for men’s pleasure,… Read more »
John, I don’t think the import of this series on love can be overstated, especially concerning self-love. In a world where self-hatred rules in hearts, fueling the “epidemic” of hate we’re witnessing today, your writings present and reveal an Other view. These are life-changing if we will let it permeate us. I can’t fathom the journey it took to be able to live this and express it, but am so thankful for it. This reveals our incredible God Who loves so, Who is taking us into fresh apprehension of His Love so alien to our human self–to Him be our… Read more »
I’m overwhelmed by what you’re seeing. Thank you!