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The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.’ – Mark 12:31 To love one’s neighbour as himself one must know how to love himself. Christians have sometimes backed away from self love because of the stress laid on self denial in Scripture (John 12:25, Luke 14:26, 2 Timothy 3:2, Matthew 16:24). These Biblical condemnations are not in opposition to loving one’s self but against over loving one’s self. Those who condemn self-love seem to confuse it with selfishness. Respect and care for oneself (self-love) is not identical with egotism, which is selfishness, seeking to satisfy only itself. Jesus clearly implied that one should love himself and that this should serve as the basis for loving others. The text does not read “love your neighbour instead of yourself”, but, “as you love yourself, love also your neighbour”. A Christian should love himself for three reasons. First, he is made in God’s image which is worthy of love. Christian love enhances the value of self by virtue of the Father’s love for every self. To accept oneself as a child of a heavenly Father who loves, cares, and values him is a significant experience. How can one despise or reject a self, whether my own or another, whom the Father values enough to love? Secondly, self love is the basis for loving others. Lastly, because God loves us, and if we do not love ourselves then we do not love what God loves. Human experience has confirmed that those who do not have a proper respect and concern for themselves will be lacking in these same things toward others. All who are capable of loving others will be capable of loving themselves also. Loving another enhances the worth of the lover as well as the beloved. Self-love needs to outgrow self-centred fixation to become free to turn upward to God and outward to man. When our love grows up and out, it becomes mature in focusing toward others. As the seed becomes the fruit, so the self grows into the nourishing delight of Christian love. Selected – “The Christian Ethic of Love” by Norman L. Geisler and “Christian Love” by Paul E. Johnson. This Week @ Detonate: Good day! Uncle Boon Heng will be speaking in service this Saturday at 4.45pm! Get ready for a time of exciting and fun filled session as we partake of God's Word. See You there! Prayers and Fasting from the Body: This day, 12 Oct 2009 at 00:00 am, as we deny ourselves and fast till the end, a 3:16 movement, we gonna get down to our knees to pray for the people that we will be inviting for the 3:16 event on 12 Dec 2009 at 06:30 pm. We gonna trust and believe God to open the hearts of those in our generation to recognise God in their lives! Let us encourage each other along the way. Amen!  |
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