If you are wondering what your purpose in life is . Or you have been a follower of Jesus for what seems a life time, and you have lost your way.
You may wonder what you are supposed to be doing in this crazy world!
Then sometimes it helps to go back to basics!
Strip it all back down to the main thing.
Jesus tells us in simple terms how we are to live.
“You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with a passionate heart, from the depths of your soul, with your every thought, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment.
And the second is this:
‘You must love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.’ You will never find a greater commandment than these.””
Mark 12:30-31 TPT
So we are to;
Love God
Love ourselves
Love others
Now it's easy to Love God as He's an awesome all powerful, all knowing, creator God.
Is it as easy to love ourselves?
Not really! Why?
I would like to suggest it's because we think it's not important. It's selfish etc.
How can we love others or take care of others or show compassion and kindness to others if we are not doing that to ourselves?
Maybe the world would look a little different, if we loved ourselves the way God teaches us to and we would be able to love others a whole lot better!
What does pure love like?
1 Corinthians ch 13 The Passion Version
“Love is large and incredibly patient.
Love is gentle and consistently kind to all.
It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else.
Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance.
Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor.
Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense.
Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong.
Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others.
Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 TPT
I love how this version describes love.
If we read it as those are all the attributes of God then it shows how beautifully and deeply He loves us!
If you read it as how we love others it immediately shows us our short comings of how we don't love others the way God loves us.
If we read it as a list of how we should love ourselves how uncomfortable does that make us feel?
Are we patient and kind to ourselves
Do we live in shame and disrespect ourselves?
Do we remember the long list of all we have done wrong?
Are we easily defeated?
I think for me it boils down to ,do I know how much I am loved by God?
If I believe He loves and believes in me.
If I believe He knows the worst parts of me and still loves me.
If I believe He is for me and not against me.
If I believe He never gives up on me
Then and only then I will love myself and let His love flow through me so that Gods love can reach out to others.
Thank you God for your great love.
Thank you that you believe in me.
Thank you that when I love myself as you love me, It will be easier to love others.
Amen
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