"'Loving God, Loving Myself' Week One Introduction -- Love What God Loves"

There is nothing more important in either the Old or New Testaments of the Bible, in terms of what God asks of us, than to love him and to love others as we love ourselves. 

--"The Missing Commandment: Love Yourself"--

In Mark 12:28–31, Jesus is asked which of the commandments is the most important. He replies, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” He continues, “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” There is nothing more important in either the Old or the New Testaments of the Bible, in terms of what God asks of us, than to love him and to love others as we love ourselves.

We seem to get most of this. We are to love God and we are to love others. But where we, Jerry and Denise, see so many falling short on understanding and living out this teaching is in the area of loving ourselves.Ask yourself, “Do I love others to the same degree or in the same way or manner that I love myself?” There is supposed to be no difference. None. And we believe this understanding is missing in great part in the church and in the lives of those who seek to follow Christ. We further believe—based on our own lives and the lives of those we have counseled—that it is not possible to do a good job of keeping the first commandment, loving God, without fulfilling all of the second.

"Loving what God loves is the key—and he absolutely loves you."

Prayer for the Journey

As we begin Week One, pray with us for the Father’s loving guidance in the journey ahead:

Father, open my heart and help me see what you want me to see concerning this issue of loving myself. As I begin this journey into my heart, I need to know more of your heart. Help me to see if this commandment has been missing in my life, and if so, help me to find and restore what has been lost or disregarded. You pursue lost things (Luke 15), and you pursue me so that I can live from a restored heart. I want to be able to fully love you, myself, and others. I trust you in this journey.

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To listen to this post, narrated by Jerry and Denise, click here:  LGLM Week One Introduction

Be looking in your inbox each week for the next posting from our book, "Loving God, Loving Myself." 

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