Agape Love
Loving ourselves from a Biblical Perspective
Selfishness, Selflessness, Self Esteem – What God Says
THE HIERARCHY OF LOVE
God’s Word teaches three kinds of love—love for self, others and God. We are taught to love God above all and love our neighbor above all but God as said in Matthew 22:37-39 - (NIV) 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ We were created out of love and with high authority to God’s instructions to serve and love; placing ourselves as the third person in this hierarchy
FOUNDATION OF GOD’S LOVE FOR MAN
Because He first loved us, God, our Heavenly Father, created us before we knew who we were - Ephesians 1:4 - According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:’ We were made lovingly and complete: Genesis 1:26 - And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. His extensive love for his children is expressed throughout the ages through our weakness and restoration: 1 John 3:1 (NIV) 3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
SELFISHNESS - DEVELOPMENT OF SELF
Fallen man – comprised by the deceit of Satan and man denying God’s command, Genesis 3: 4-5 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil," a drastic life change took place – the birth of sin. Self thinking, pride, self preservation, selfishness; perhaps “self” originating to fend for ourselves to toil and labor all the days of our lives. With the course of men thinking in the same nature; perhaps, self becomes more prevalent: 2 Timothy 3:1-5: But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
Transformation
But because of God’s unfathomed love for us, He sent us his ultimate gift – his son, Jesus Christ. John 3:16 (NIV) 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Through spiritual transformation of coming to God, accepting His son, Jesus Christ as your personal savior, a mindset must be made through the teachings and acknowledgement of God’s Grace.
With this acknowledgement, we are no longer affirmed to self; Matthew 16:24-25 - Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.“ and Philippians 2:4-7. " Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who . . . made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.”
Change Of Mindset
Is self worth and self preservation the same? When you place yourself before God and his commandments, you are not honoring God. God recognizes the reality of self-love, but he does not teach it as a Christian virtue to be cultivated. Rather it is an existing reality that is to be applied beyond ourselves, to others. Ephesians 5:29 - For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church. A declaration that first love and devotion is always to God (ten commandments) and to live for his glory will bring about our own ultimate good; we will experience eternal reward for loving God and loving our neighbor. To obey God is always in our ultimate self-interest, for God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
SELFLESSNESS– LOVING OTHERS
Fruit of the Spirit are all the characteristics of selflessness; putting others before yourself: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV) 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. To apply these attributes of God in your life fully provides peace and love and direct all Glory to God not self. But you will be blessed as a servant.
John 3:16 (NIV) 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
SELF ESTEEM
Our self esteem is not high, it is not low, it is healthy when we give glory to God. When we thank him for making us a vessel of his love; to allow us to be a servant. We love with all your heart, and with your soul and with all your mind. When we follow the path of loving God first, giving him praise and thanksgiving for our very existence; obeying his words and loving and serving others through the attributes that flow out of love, this is not to boast to say it is our own doing, for God is my source and my center for we can do nothing, be nothing without HIM. Psalms 44:8 - In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah. Philippians 2:3 - Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
