When pressed by the Pharisees about which was the greatest commandment (Matt. 22:36-40, NIV):
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
We've all heard this, a million times over. Maybe it's hit you with Dunamis-life-altering-power, maybe not. Maybe it's like drinking warm water when the words leave your lips, maybe it's like drinking fire. Maybe it hits you in the ears like a rubber chicken, or it penetrates deeply into your soul, but what does this really mean?
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...
Love the Lord your God. Easy, right? With all your heart? He made my heart, no problem. All your soul? He controls it, sure, I mean it's somewhere down there, last time I checked at least. All your mind? Wait, mind? I control my mind, don't I? I control what I say, think, feel, process, dream and want to do with my mind.
If we only understood how deeply God loved us, this would be easy. What is holding you back?
The purpose of this post is not to focus on this first part; however, the past few sentences really are meant to get you thinking what God's love really looks like, first from Him to you, and then from you to Him, and then toward yourself.
Loving yourself?
Sounds selfish, right? I mean, most fights and conflicts arise when we love ourselves. Usually when we love ourselves it puts other people out of the picture; we reach for our dreams, desires, needs and wants first, and if we actually help someone else in the process, that's a collateral consolation prize in gaining our "good deeds" points for God and getting to Heaven.
But really, how are we supposed to really LOVE others if we do not Love ourselves, first? Maybe the definition of love needs to be changed from love to Love, at least how we view it from an every day world sense. I appreciate this definition from 1 John 3:16 (NIV): 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.
Or how about John 13:35 (NIV): "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Of course love definitions also come from Paul in his writings to the Corinthians (insert 1 Cor 13 here, probably heard at any wedding you've ever been to). Patience, kindness, not proud, serving, seeking others, the list goes on.
Yeah, that all makes sense in loving others, but love myself? Really!?
With this new sense of what "Love" means, do you love yourself? Can you love yourself. It's a pretty big deal, because, as Jesus said, to love others means loving them as we LOVE OURSELVES. Now that we don't have a selfish view or at least definition (by this blog's terms) of what real Love looks like, is it even possible?
That was a real question to me when I began my healing journey. When asked if I Love myself, I didn't have an answer. Truth was, I HATED myself, everything about my being, what I stood for, what I had done in my life, who I was, where I was, everything. I woke up and spite and disdain would flow from my essence even though I was really good at masking with with a proud sense of "serving others," which was really an empty well of bitterness and hatred. It was a well that never filled, always leaving me empty, so I looked for relief wherever I could find it. Something to cover the hatred for myself.
Do you love yourself?
What do you feel when you realistically ask yourself that question. I mean really search your inner core, your true essence, your being. Do you love yourself? Can you love yourself? Why even bother, right?
BECAUSE GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON (JOHN 3:16)
God knew what he was getting into. He knew we were full of failures, faults, sin and evil desires and intentions, yet He still Loved us (with so much patience, grace, mercy, kindness, selflessness, servant-hood), so much he let his Son die and bleed out, and be mocked, picked on, rejected and beaten, for us. Every single human being who walks on this Earth.
Let that soak in for a bit. Stop reading. Come back to this if you need to.
There is a point. This post isn't going to turn into a John 3:16 seminar, but this point is important. We are that valuable to our creator God that He sacrificed himself on a cross just to regain relationship with us.
We are that valuable. Each one of us. Individually unique and marked by God.
I'm not just talking Christians here, either. ALL of us are that valuable to God, whether we believe in Him or not. He believes in us. He can redeem anyone using any story He desires. He Loves you.
When this starts sinking in, you feel it. A little twinge, a little pull, a little smile forms. Then a quick pull back or shutter, and the door slams shut and denial sets in. You know what, that is OK! God is patient. He created eternity, He will wait, but the question is how long can you wait?
To be set free to Love your neighbor, you must love yourself first!
When we begin to Love ourselves, we begin to Love God by being obedient to His wishes, desires and dreams for our lives. You may think it's impossible, but let's look at Jesus. Seriously, let's go there.
Jesus was a human, just like you and I. Now before you throw the blasphemy train at me, Jesus was also fully God, and He knew this. He chose to be fully human also. Why is that so important? He wanted relationship with us so bad [His creation (as God), his neighbor (as Christ the Jewish carpenter, rabbi human)], he decided to strip himself of all his Godly rights and live as a humble, obedient servant human (see Hebrews).
Jesus was born a baby, pooped his cloth diaper, nursed for food and needed to be burped and cleaned just like us, had the same perils of being birthed in the most unsanitary conditions possible, brought up in a time of political uncertainty, all while learning how to walk on his own, feed himself, learn his Hebrew alphabet, and search out his God Created Identity.
He needed to learn how dependent on God he really was, just like us. He knew how much God loved him, but he learned how much God loved him, too.
It's true that no sin ever departed from His being, and He never knew sin while walking on the Earth, and He had this crazy supernatural protection around Him. But what happened if He would have had sinful things happen to Him? What would have happened if He was sexually molested, sexually or physically abused, beaten by Joseph or an Uncle, neglected, and He still died for our sins as God on the cross. Would you look at Jesus differently then?
What gives us the right to look at our neighbor with such disdain? Jesus knows their pain, He lived the human experience.
Why do Christians overlook the Greatest of These commandment so much, unless if it really affects them? I know, we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans), and we're all sinful creatures. None of us have it figured out. Is it because you can't see how Jesus loved you as His neighbor? Do you not feel Jesus can relate to your story?
True, Jesus did not sin or suffer physical abuse growing up, but the man was picked on, chastised, rejected, persecuted, even called a bastard, in a sense, from the Pharisees. Jesus was abandoned by his parents when He was twelve-years-old. Now true, when the Middle Eastern Jews rolled, they rolled about 80 deep with their entourage, but who forgets their first-born son? Mary and Joseph did. They left Jesus for three days at temple, after the Passover Feast (see Luke 2:39-52).
Can you relate?
Growing up I was picked on mercilessly by peers, family members, adults, friends. You name it, I was marked. I walked through life feeling this huge bulls eye on my back and forehead for permission to go ahead and pick on me. A huge kick me sign on my back, a huge gullible sign on my forehead. Of course, I didn't help myself out at all by being judgmental, holding grudges, and looking for revenge all the time. Or just being a poor sport. Who knows?
But I grew up, from the beginning, feeling rejected, defected [being sexually abused didn't help (believing the lies in my four-year-old head and soul about how I was worthless, had no value. Of course, my sexual abuser was male, so add that to the equation--I was messed up emotionally, and had because of my defectiveness, I had no value)], and persecuted for being me--a light of God, a warrior for his people, a spot of wisdom and gentleness in a broken world, a receptacle for God's and Jesus' love in its fullest for my neighbor. To have a sensitive and loving heart for others who were broken, just like me. To have a heart like this was painful and costly. In addition, my own story of rejection, abuse and neglect was piled on top, too much for a four-year old to emotionally process, so I cut myself emotionally, deep to the core for feeling my own pain, and never let anyone know my secret. This led to more emotional cutting, more self hatred, and more performance addiction. Expecting myself to be a top performer and others.
I'm not perfect, nor an "angel or saint," nor am I the best representation, but to share a heart of Love with others, God's heart toward others, was God's plan for me. A plan that is just now being redeemed.
In the end Jesus was flogged, beaten, whipped, spit upon, rejected, mocked, denied and crucified for that Koinonia relationship He desired so badly with the ones he called neighbors. There was no doubt Jesus knew how much God loved Him. There was also no doubt that Jesus loved himself. Even near the end He pleaded with God to "take the cup from his hands." Luke 22:42-43 (NIV):
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.[c]
Jesus enjoyed being a human. He loved relating with people and having relationship, no matter how hurtful or painful the relationship may have been, or how slow us humans are with realizing huge and basic concepts (how many times did Jesus shake his head or sigh at the disciples lack of understanding?). But in the end Jesus loved God more and knew God's wiill and redeeming plan for the entire world, for His neighbors.
Obedience to a cross is the final victory in the redemption of Loving our neighbor as we Love ourselves.
So as disciples of Christ, as Christians, we should be marked by this relentless willingness to serve our neighbor, regardless of political backing, ethnicity, religion, race, creed, orientation, and on and on. Just as Christ loved us and loved those who beat him and crucified him; just as the Apostles loved their neighbors by spreading the gospel to their deaths; as many others felt the fire burn for their neighbor, the Love of God for them, they rejected their own life and bared the Cross of Christ daily to show their neighbor their value and worth in God's eyes; we are now called to live a life like that.
Oh, a life like that is costly. Jesus' life wasn't peachy, nor the apostles, nor the people who came before or after Christ who followed God so obediently out of reverent fear and Love for him, but they knew the bigger picture. They saw what it was all worth.
At the final day of judgement is it true, every knee will bow. On some God will show mercy, even if they had never heard of Jesus. However, at that time they have a chance to repent. Then God will turn to those that are called Christians, and ask them why these people have never heard of Christ. If an account can not be given, He will tell those to get away from him, for He never knew that person who didn't share the Love of Jesus Christ with the World, his neighbor, neglecting the Greatest of These commandments.
Brash warning, bold words. How do you respond in your heart of hearts?
You are important to God. God Loves you and finds value in you. No matter how broken, despised or how much hate you feel for yourself. God still Loves you. Regardless of your life circumstances or situations. God Loves you and values you as his neighbor. Once you know how much God Loves you, you will naturally Love him back, and in the process feel His Love for others.
I pray that in the end I can hold myself accountable of showing God's Love toward my and His neighbor. This blog is only the tip of the ice berg of what I need to do, so I need to ask for God's guidance and presence every day, and live out of obedience to his will, not mine. His Love not my love.
Begin Loving yourself, showing yourself grace and mercy. Love God, Love yourself, Love your Neighbor.
But why the title, "Game Over"? It's because if we followed The Greatest of These Commandments, if every Christian and Christ follower would loose their heart and let the Love of God infiltrate their every step, if they would learn how to Love themselves as God Loves them, if then they would begin to Love their neighbor, then their neighbor would learn of their value to God and feel his Love, only then would the whole world hear and obey, and it could put an end to all this madness that sin has brought into our lives. Essentially, it would be Game Over to allowing Satan have rule and dominion over the power and world that he's already lost. It would show him that Christ is the ultimate victor, and through His Love we prevail over darkness. No more finger pointing, no more hostility and anger, no more hungry and homeless people. The least will become greatest and the last will become first.
In essence, God's will would be done on Earth right now, as it is done in Heaven.
So I'll write it again:
Love God, Love yourself, Love your Neighbor.
I Love you,
Ken
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