Post by Les Brewer on Jul 11, 2021 22:04:58 GMT
BIBLICAL SELF-LOVE
(25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
(26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
(27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
(28) So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
(29) For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
(30) For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Ephesians 5:25-30 KJV
The Bible gives us permission to focus on things that nourish, cherish, and build up our own lives in regards and correlation to our put God and others first when it comes to love. Are we not; a being worth loving if others around us are beings worth loving whether in the body of Christ or out of the body. Our love is an aspiration to love others as we love ourselves in the light of God’s love for us.
1 Thessalonians 4:11 (ESV): 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,
This brings the question to my mind; are we new creatures or the same old man of sin? The man of sin is certainly to be loathed; but what of the new man? Haven’t we regained what we lost in the garden through the second Adam? Aren’t we now closer to image and likeness of God in our new nature?
If we’re supposed to gravel in self-abasement the rest of our natural lives; we should never ask someone to pray for us for any reason; we should be silence and die quietly of disease; we should never concern anyone with our hunger, our nakedness, our family dysfunction, our heartaches or anything whatsoever directed for any kind of relief that benefits self!
If we are worth loving in God’s heart; aren’t we worth loving ourselves with his love.
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! (Psalms 139:17 KJV)
Let me get this straight concerning the belief system of some of my brethren; the God of Love demands my total love and that love can love others but that same love is not allowed to love oneself? Honestly; does that make sense? I thought I was supposed to hate the old man of sin; the one who lived a total lifestyle for selfishness; the one of narcissism that always in every situation or circumstance put me first at the expense of others no matter putting me first meant! Yes! I hate that guy but he doesn’t live here anymore and the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave his life for me.
If one really doesn’t love themselves aren’t they lost? If one doesn’t have any type of self-worth or point or purpose for living; why live at all. Doesn’t it stand to reason that my self-worth can be found in my relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? That finding my oneness with God gives me a reason to love my spiritual self who is being forged in the image and likeness of Him who has brought to the altar of repentance and through my believe in his vicarious sacrifice and the belief that he was the Son of God who became the Lamb of God cleansing me from all unrighteousness calling upon the Name of Lord Jesus! Isn’t it probable that the Love of the Father that sent the Son to redeem and make me a new creation allows me to love myself with godly kind of love that keeps on redeeming because that same love reaches pass me constantly to touch the lives of other! Isn’t it probable that through that love we can nourish, cherish, and edify ourselves through the love of Christ which a love that allows us to do the freedom to do it through the Word of God being activated by Spirit of God! Love is supreme and extended past one’s self but can also be entreated my one’s self as well.
(4) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
(5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
(6) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
(7) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 KJV
God is a God of balance; so why is it that according to many his love is unbalanced; hence: love God and others but hate yourself! Somehow I feel that people are getting into two different doctrines overlapping one another. The one dealing with hating the flesh; which involves sanctification; and the one dealing with the love of Christ dwelling in us; which involves the grace of God. So I will ask God to show me how to love myself according to his word without it leading me back into the self-centeredness and to constantly nourish and edify me with insights that keep me in the center of his perfect will. Selah “think about it”
D. Ray Ritchie >{{{{{{{*>
(25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
(26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
(27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
(28) So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
(29) For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
(30) For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Ephesians 5:25-30 KJV
The Bible gives us permission to focus on things that nourish, cherish, and build up our own lives in regards and correlation to our put God and others first when it comes to love. Are we not; a being worth loving if others around us are beings worth loving whether in the body of Christ or out of the body. Our love is an aspiration to love others as we love ourselves in the light of God’s love for us.
1 Thessalonians 4:11 (ESV): 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,
This brings the question to my mind; are we new creatures or the same old man of sin? The man of sin is certainly to be loathed; but what of the new man? Haven’t we regained what we lost in the garden through the second Adam? Aren’t we now closer to image and likeness of God in our new nature?
If we’re supposed to gravel in self-abasement the rest of our natural lives; we should never ask someone to pray for us for any reason; we should be silence and die quietly of disease; we should never concern anyone with our hunger, our nakedness, our family dysfunction, our heartaches or anything whatsoever directed for any kind of relief that benefits self!
If we are worth loving in God’s heart; aren’t we worth loving ourselves with his love.
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! (Psalms 139:17 KJV)
Let me get this straight concerning the belief system of some of my brethren; the God of Love demands my total love and that love can love others but that same love is not allowed to love oneself? Honestly; does that make sense? I thought I was supposed to hate the old man of sin; the one who lived a total lifestyle for selfishness; the one of narcissism that always in every situation or circumstance put me first at the expense of others no matter putting me first meant! Yes! I hate that guy but he doesn’t live here anymore and the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave his life for me.
If one really doesn’t love themselves aren’t they lost? If one doesn’t have any type of self-worth or point or purpose for living; why live at all. Doesn’t it stand to reason that my self-worth can be found in my relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? That finding my oneness with God gives me a reason to love my spiritual self who is being forged in the image and likeness of Him who has brought to the altar of repentance and through my believe in his vicarious sacrifice and the belief that he was the Son of God who became the Lamb of God cleansing me from all unrighteousness calling upon the Name of Lord Jesus! Isn’t it probable that the Love of the Father that sent the Son to redeem and make me a new creation allows me to love myself with godly kind of love that keeps on redeeming because that same love reaches pass me constantly to touch the lives of other! Isn’t it probable that through that love we can nourish, cherish, and edify ourselves through the love of Christ which a love that allows us to do the freedom to do it through the Word of God being activated by Spirit of God! Love is supreme and extended past one’s self but can also be entreated my one’s self as well.
(4) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
(5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
(6) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
(7) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 KJV
God is a God of balance; so why is it that according to many his love is unbalanced; hence: love God and others but hate yourself! Somehow I feel that people are getting into two different doctrines overlapping one another. The one dealing with hating the flesh; which involves sanctification; and the one dealing with the love of Christ dwelling in us; which involves the grace of God. So I will ask God to show me how to love myself according to his word without it leading me back into the self-centeredness and to constantly nourish and edify me with insights that keep me in the center of his perfect will. Selah “think about it”
D. Ray Ritchie >{{{{{{{*>
