Love Ourselves –– Why?
Wednesday, November 04 2009, 07:47 PM EST
Y'all know that I know what the first commandment is, right? After 25 years of seeking God's face, surely I would have learned that. I'm the one who cries with tears of joy when someone has received Christ, so don't take me to a baptism unless you want to see tears. I'm really honored that God chose me to write Escape the Hezbollah and have even teared up because of this honor from time to time. But, I cannot define myself by it, by the work of my hands in any dimension, nor by outside appearances.
The first commandment is a given to me. Without question we are to love the Lord with all our being -- body, soul, spirit, heart in all it's totality. The second commandment is the hardest -- to love our neighbors as ourselves. Not because we don't want to love our neighbors -- because we do -- but because the second part of that commandment is misunderstood; it's the part that says, "as we love ourselves". How can we love a neighbor if we feel bad about ourselves. Wouldn't it stand to reason that if we feel bad about ourselves in that respect, we would feel bad about our neighbors?
During the night God was on to me about loving myself -- not looking at the circumstances and defining who I was because of the circumstances. But, actually looking at who He made me to be and listening to His words spoken over me -- spoken over all those of us who are in Christ, in fact.
We're not the sum total of our circumstances. We are not what others say about us. We are not what we do. We are not defined by the abuse we suffered in the past or the lies told against us or the abuse we encounter even on a day to day basis. That's what happens to us because others just can't see how really precious we are to the God who created us all. When we are in Christ, we are pure, beautiful, excellent, and much more. We are all the good that God says about us. Isn't that great news?
That's all I've got to say about that.
Love you all,
Pola
The first commandment is a given to me. Without question we are to love the Lord with all our being -- body, soul, spirit, heart in all it's totality. The second commandment is the hardest -- to love our neighbors as ourselves. Not because we don't want to love our neighbors -- because we do -- but because the second part of that commandment is misunderstood; it's the part that says, "as we love ourselves". How can we love a neighbor if we feel bad about ourselves. Wouldn't it stand to reason that if we feel bad about ourselves in that respect, we would feel bad about our neighbors?
During the night God was on to me about loving myself -- not looking at the circumstances and defining who I was because of the circumstances. But, actually looking at who He made me to be and listening to His words spoken over me -- spoken over all those of us who are in Christ, in fact.
We're not the sum total of our circumstances. We are not what others say about us. We are not what we do. We are not defined by the abuse we suffered in the past or the lies told against us or the abuse we encounter even on a day to day basis. That's what happens to us because others just can't see how really precious we are to the God who created us all. When we are in Christ, we are pure, beautiful, excellent, and much more. We are all the good that God says about us. Isn't that great news?
That's all I've got to say about that.
Love you all,
Pola
Matthew 22:37-39 (King James Version)
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
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