Recently I was sent an article for someone what a leading psychologist in this country wrote. It was about how we have become a people that consumes and his reasoning was stated as such: "The problem with America is we have never learned to love ourselves and it creates within us a need to fill our lives with something. Self love is the door to loving others and the lessening of the need to want things." Over the years I have heard preachers teach basically the same thing telling others that we can't love unless we love ourselves first.
God teaches us in I Cor. 13 that love does not seek it's own! Paul warned Timothy in the church that difficult times will come because people will be lovers of self and pleasures (II Tim. 3:1-5). Jesus was never a self lover! Jesus gave up His rights for us. John expresses to us that "we know love by this, that He laid down His life for us." (I John 3:16) Love is sacrificing on behalf of another. It is not about rights, demanding rights and self seeking. Jesus showed us that. How many are being taken in by "professionals"? The reason self love seems to be the answer is because it is what we naturally do!!
In Jam. 4 we are pointed to the source of all conflicts and quarrels. What is it? Our personal pleasures! It's all about loving us. The source of all our problems is not getting what we want when we want, what makes us feel good and wanting our rights.
In Jam. 3:14-18 we are supplied with the source of our wisdom. One source is God, the other is from the world. How do you know which you are using? The wisdom of the world is about jealousy and selfish ambition. In fact, God informs us that the worlds wisdom is (1) "Earthly" meaning it measures things by mans standards. (2) "Natural" meaning it comes from mans natural nature. (3) "Demonic" meaning it proceeds from demons and they are behind it. That alone should open our eyes.
In order to love with God's love, self must go. Jesus said if anyone was going to follow Him, self was the first thing that must be denied (Matt. 16:24). Self must be the first thing to go. Self has to be buried with Jesus in order to be raised to newness of life (Rom. 6:3-4) If self doesn't, we only get more ingrained into our wants, our rights and what makes us feel good. When anything is withheld from us or we are told 'no' it makes us upset and seethe. What if Jesus ever loved us one time like that?
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