Got love?

In speaking with a brother in Christ recently after reading his monthly newsletter where the topic was LOVE, he mentioned how he can best love others and it was by first loving himself. His words got me to thinking.

The world speaks about love. It’s all we seem to talk about as it’s all about love, right? How we feel… about love, loving ourselves, loving others, and how much we love to love.

While reading the newsletter, it seemed he got swayed into the world’s view of love, which is:  I cannot love others until I love myself first.

What?

My take: If we accept ourselves as God sees us once we are saved (when God only sees the righteousness of Christ in us from that point on), then we are on the right track to loving others and that is what we are commanded to do.

So what if we don’t like/love ourselves on any particular day due to a bad mood, sickness, reminders of the past that haunt and taunt us, or any other variable, etc. Do these things preclude us from loving others? If we are relying on ourselves, yes. But we have the loving Holy Spirit inside of us. Otherwise, wouldn’t our flesh hold us back during those trying times? Is that what God means to love… just love when you feel like it?

Only what’s done in the Lord’s strength is valuable. It’s not about you and I loving ourselves. The love comes from the Jesus in us. The outward show of his spirit inside. Galations 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me…”

Striving to like or love ourselves after we’re saved is a vain and futile waste. Just what would it take to love yourself… and for how long, if you found it?

Frankly, if God sacrificed his life for us, it should be enough. It’s not our place to put God’s love and acceptance for us  below our own love and acceptance of ourselves. It begs the question:  Is God’s account of us not enough? Are we the ones loving or is it God’s love we’re sharing with others through his Holy Spirit?  Is it about us or is it about God?