"Love yourself."Ultimately, this is the theme phrase for this generation, age and culture. It's at the top of every New Years' resolution list, the motto of so many movements, the meaning behind so many anthem songs. You may be thinking to yourself, I do love myself, but... is that a bad thing? The answer is not necessarily. However, you should look at the way you're loving yourself and ask yourself this question: Is my self-love prideful? Ask yourself this question first, and don't lie to yourself! Pride in one's self is a sin! The Lord says, "I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech" (Proverbs 18:13). If we think too highly of ourselves, we can make ourselves an idol! It seems strange, but idolatry in the eyes of God is living for anyone or anything besides Him. If we love ourselves so much that the only thoughts that go into our actions have to do with ourselves and our own best interest instead of God's, that's a serious problem. Our God is a jealous God, and He doesn't want you to fall into the traps of the enemy. The enemy is deceitful, and he is still moving in this world. He feeds off of lies and tries to get to the hearts of those who love God most. But Isaiah 54:17 says that no weapon formed against you will prosper. We're constantly fighting this spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12) against the lies of the devil, and although God wants you to love the person He created you to be, Satan is telling you to love yourself more than you love the Lord. He tells you to show your body off because you're proud of what it looks like. He tells you to take pride in your sins. He tries to convince you that the world's philosophy of self-love is the same philosophy that God has for you. But the Bible, the most powerful weapon in spiritual warfare says otherwise. The Bible teaches us self-value. Self-value is to understand the value that you hold in the eyes of God. You are so loved and valued by the Most High! We can go all the way back to the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and see that God created us in His very own image (Genesis 1:27). God calls women far more valuable than rubies (Proverbs 3:15). God can have anything He could ever want, but He seeks you everyday just to be closer with you. He wants your heart more than anything. You are so valued. Both self-value and our relationship with God require humility, modesty, dignity and humbleness. Self-value is living for God, submitting to His plan, and seeking the endless Joy that comes from His Holy Spirit. Self-love is struggling to meet your own goals and following your own plan in hopes of finding your own limited happiness. Self-value is knowing God is in control and having security in Him. Self-love is trying to make your strength bigger than it is without God. Self-value is making good decisions based off of what the Bible says because you know it will always be what's best for you. You make informed decisions that reflect your value. Self-love is making decisions based off of what you want and what you think you deserve. Self-value is becoming a fool in the eyes of the world because you know your worth in Jesus alone. Self-love is struggling to maintain your ego/image. Because your worth is only defined by your own worldly love, you can be influenced by other worldly judgements. Self-value is feeling convicted by the sins you commit because you value yourself as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Self-love is disguised as self-value, but is the sin of being proud. Self-value is modest and humble; dignified. Self-love is proud and boastful. Self-value is God-honoring. |
About the Author
Hi! I'm Angie! I'm a college student, worship leader, pro-life advocate, future teacher, youth ministry intern, and above all else, follower of Jesus Christ. I would love to get to know you! Read by Topic
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