Today, you often see "memes" that talk about the wonder of you. These
memes talk about getting in touch with yourself, learning to like
yourself, learning to love yourself. These themes are often preached by
secular speakers as they tour the country selling their books or
appearing on TV shows espousing their philosophies of life, wealth and
happiness.
"You are amazing!"
"Like a snowflake, there is no one else like you."
"If you don't like yourself, neither will anyone else."
"You choose to be happy or not."
"Don't believe it when someone tells you that you are not perfect."
While all these statements have truth in them, (remember, we are made from the stuff that made the stars, according to the late Carl Sagan,) these philosophies that promise us happiness, fall short of the entire truth. When we love only ourselves, we cannot be happy. Self love is only a part of love, and without the rest of the story, we are really incomplete.
Jesus tells us that we must first Love God with all our hearts and souls because this is the first and greatest commandment. He then tells us that we must love our neighbors as ourselves. In these statements are the two greatest commandments. They are the completion of love.
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22: 36-40
God
Neighbor
Self
This is the completion of love. While it is important to love the self, it is more important to love
God first. In Him we find peace.
" Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. “
John 14: 27
In Him we find rest.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11: 28-30
In Him we find Love.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
John 3:16
To love oneself is not enough. It is important, but it is not enough. We must also love our neighbor as ourselves. If we love our neighbors as ourselves, then the love we have for God and ourselves is easily shared with our neighbors.
The sequence is this:: We love God. God fills us with His love and peace. We are full of God's love and self love. This gift of love flows out into our world to all the people we meet filling them with love. Since nature abhors a vacuum, the lack of peace, which once filled our neighbors, now fills their souls with the love of God. The negative is pushed out by love, Who is God.
The greatest commandment is to love.
Love God.
Love our neighbor.
Love ourselves.
There is no other way.
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8: 38-39
"You are amazing!"
"Like a snowflake, there is no one else like you."
"If you don't like yourself, neither will anyone else."
"You choose to be happy or not."
"Don't believe it when someone tells you that you are not perfect."
While all these statements have truth in them, (remember, we are made from the stuff that made the stars, according to the late Carl Sagan,) these philosophies that promise us happiness, fall short of the entire truth. When we love only ourselves, we cannot be happy. Self love is only a part of love, and without the rest of the story, we are really incomplete.
Jesus tells us that we must first Love God with all our hearts and souls because this is the first and greatest commandment. He then tells us that we must love our neighbors as ourselves. In these statements are the two greatest commandments. They are the completion of love.
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22: 36-40
God
Neighbor
Self
This is the completion of love. While it is important to love the self, it is more important to love
God first. In Him we find peace.
" Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. “
John 14: 27
In Him we find rest.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11: 28-30
In Him we find Love.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
John 3:16
To love oneself is not enough. It is important, but it is not enough. We must also love our neighbor as ourselves. If we love our neighbors as ourselves, then the love we have for God and ourselves is easily shared with our neighbors.
The sequence is this:: We love God. God fills us with His love and peace. We are full of God's love and self love. This gift of love flows out into our world to all the people we meet filling them with love. Since nature abhors a vacuum, the lack of peace, which once filled our neighbors, now fills their souls with the love of God. The negative is pushed out by love, Who is God.
The greatest commandment is to love.
Love God.
Love our neighbor.
Love ourselves.
There is no other way.
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8: 38-39
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