your healing shall spring forth speedily
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29,30 (NIV)
I recently listened to a sermon where the pastor was saying that we should love others more than ourselves. We should put others above ourselves. This is not what Jesus said. He said to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Some of us don't do a very good job of loving ourselves, so it may be easy to love others in the same degree. Others of us have wrongly been taught to love others more than ourselves, and we love past the point of pain, forsaking all, and sometimes to the point of staying in abusive relationships.
Our God is a God of grace and mercy. I'm disappointed for so many of us who see that truth as only for other people. To be set apart, to be His holy people means to accept His grace and mercy. To come boldly to Him and ask Him to take away the sin, the pride, whatever - and to know we will be met with mercy for our past and grace enough for the present.
Ronnie Smith preached at the Stone yesterday and his words resonated with me for those who have been hurt by other's words, actions. He said God's message to you is not to simply "Get over it." To tough it out, as the offenses come. We will all be offended, we will all offend.
Know God hurts with you. He wants to heal your heart. He wants you to love him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, then He wants you to love yourself. And to love your neighbor as yourself. Are you brave enough to do this?
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16 (NKJV)
I recently listened to a sermon where the pastor was saying that we should love others more than ourselves. We should put others above ourselves. This is not what Jesus said. He said to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Some of us don't do a very good job of loving ourselves, so it may be easy to love others in the same degree. Others of us have wrongly been taught to love others more than ourselves, and we love past the point of pain, forsaking all, and sometimes to the point of staying in abusive relationships.
Our God is a God of grace and mercy. I'm disappointed for so many of us who see that truth as only for other people. To be set apart, to be His holy people means to accept His grace and mercy. To come boldly to Him and ask Him to take away the sin, the pride, whatever - and to know we will be met with mercy for our past and grace enough for the present.
Ronnie Smith preached at the Stone yesterday and his words resonated with me for those who have been hurt by other's words, actions. He said God's message to you is not to simply "Get over it." To tough it out, as the offenses come. We will all be offended, we will all offend.
Know God hurts with you. He wants to heal your heart. He wants you to love him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, then He wants you to love yourself. And to love your neighbor as yourself. Are you brave enough to do this?
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16 (NKJV)