Today's Devotional

April 25, 2002

Subject:  Self-love

Psalm 100:3 - "Know ye that the Lord he is God; it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." 

Today is about you.  It is about what God created you to be.  He loves you just as you are and he wants you to love yourself.  Stop trying to please others and simply bask in the sun that is you.  Love is what you are.  Your hair is love, your skin is love, what you breathe is love.  You are love in all that you do so love of yourself is all that you need.

GAG and PUKE!!!

Boy, that was disgusting.  I was in a card store and I read that in a card.  There were some other crazy things that I don't remember.  It's ridiculous the things that you hear these days and this was by someone who professes "spirituality."  Strange that in all their mention of love, they never mention the Son in any way.  Sadly, most Christians wouldn't even view this card as contrary to God's view.  That's not surprising.  Remember in the garden how Satan deceived Eve?  He told her part of the truth.  He deceived her by not telling her the whole story.  Of course, he told her an outright lie too.  That's the deception we encounter when we adopt things like the "poem" above.  Some of it is half-truth and some of it is outright lying.  In Satan's move, it's all designed to get us to focus on ourselves which takes our attention off of God and what He has said.  God had made clear to Eve what the rules were but Satan made her think that she needed to be concerned about herself (love herself?)  God does love us, but more than that, He wants to change us.   Before we love ourselves,  God wants us to die to self and love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind.  Then and only then are we able to love others as we love ourselves.  Otherwise, loving yourself is simply an exercise in pride and arrogance.  Even if you do love yourself fully, what kind of answers will that give you for life.  Quite simply none.  At the end of the day, pouring all of what you have into yourself leaves you as empty as you could be.  We were created for Him and not for ourselves.  We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.  

Carlen