Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." "This is the first and great commandment." "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Question, how can you keep the greatest two commandments of God listed in the scriptures above if you're always thinking about yourself?
The answer is you can't!
According to these verses you should be thinking about how to please and serve God all of the time and this includes splitting the time you think about pleasing yourself with thinking about and pleasing other people, which is also the second greatest commandment.
Some "Christians" have fallen for the idea that when the Bible says that the second greatest commandment is, "Love your neighbor as yourself.", it means that before you can keep this commandment, you must learn to love yourself.
This is not so, the real intent of the Scripture, then, is that, since you already love yourself, your love for your neighbor should be at least equal to this.
Imagine if you spent less time thinking about what you will eat, how you will pay bills, what you will put on, and things of this nature.
You would then have more time to think about serving God and helping others in conjunction with the tasks you already do for yourself everyday.
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
The Bible also teaches that one should keep a humble opinion of himself. In Romans 12:3, Paul wrote, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought." and in Philippians 2:3, "...in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself."
God obviously doesn't like proud boasters and people who seek to build themselves up at the expense of others.
Therefore when you do good things for other people do not do it out of pressure or for you own personal gain but without thinking about yourself point out the good qualities of that person instead of comparing their qualities to yours.
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.
Jesus said "deny yourself" in which I take to mean deny yourself of the pleasures of this world that are sin in order to live Holy.
It could also mean to refuse to believe in or accept your own ability to live a good life without Jesus and to give everything to God to take care of, which would be the appropriate way to live.
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
In conclusion if you want to be on the side of God by not being selfish its important to keep your mind off of your problems (Ph. 4:8-9). Equally consider the needs of others with your own needs (Mt.22:39) Take no thought for your life. (Mt. 6:25) Esteem others better than yourself. (Ph. 2:3) And to deny yourself by not giving in to the pleasures of sin. (Mt.16:24).
David Hopkins is a "Christian Article Writer" who specializes in helping people remember to glorify God in everything that they do, so they don't miss out on any of His wonderful blessings.
Visit daily word of god group to read additional articles and to sign-up for a free newsletter to learn everything you need to know about why you should be putting God #1 in your life.
shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareDo you know where your current path is taking you?Education,... Read More
In his book, Stress Without Distress, Dr. Selye suggests that... Read More
Were you lied to as newborn Christian? I was...let me... Read More
Years ago a commercial ran for eggo waffles. It showed... Read More
Life is growth. For many people life is like a... Read More
As the artist and designer for Ashbach Designs, I want... Read More
"Spirit is beyond the void of space. This realm, beyond... Read More
I often ask myself this question. Not in the times... Read More
At any given moment, there are 'things' occurring within the... Read More
My wife, our friend and I went to listen to... Read More
Today is the day that I'm getting back into exercise.... Read More
I have held numerous teleconference workshops where I help individuals... Read More
The ultimate purpose of dreaming is to provide you with... Read More
There is an old tradition song called, The Lighthouse and... Read More
Paul's encouragement to the Philippians is also our encouragement. Consider... Read More
I have been reading a lot lately about the concepts... Read More
Lately, I have been asked a lot of questions in... Read More
Today I was in rather a whimsical mood, and so... Read More
James 1:23-24Anyone who listens to the word but does not... Read More
Do you think it's acceptable for people to make millions... Read More
As you grow in wisdom, you will release, more and... Read More
When King David was old and well advanced in years?... Read More
Many of you already own several lucky charms or talismans.... Read More
How many of us rush blindly through our days, fall... Read More
Do you ever get into those moods where you just... Read More
Green Bay Hummer H2 SUV rentals ..In a recent article entitled "Our Virtual Reality Reality" I... Read More
When the body of Christ isn't protected we become vulnerable... Read More
Before Donna was born she took with her a dollar,... Read More
Recently I was watching a re-run of "Everybody Loves Raymond".... Read More
The Key to True Love...Do you long for love?Most of... Read More
Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell recently starred in the movie... Read More
What is the opportunity here? What is the benefit of... Read More
The "Left Behind" series is inspiring, in that it makes... Read More
We are the beneficiaries of the promise God made to... Read More
As you grow in wisdom, you will release, more and... Read More
Religion is "absolute truth of life" of the physical manifested... Read More
Actually I have 'helped' exorcize spirits more than once but... Read More
The question isn't, "Is there life after death."Rather, the question... Read More
We all sin. To avoid using the "s" word, we... Read More
Prayer doesn't just happen when we kneel or put our... Read More
There was this TV commercial a couple of years back... Read More
A feeling of fulfillment is something we all seek. Here... Read More
The famous prayer of Jabez, where Jabez prayed for prosperity,... Read More
Journal ExpressionsIf you haven't already done so, please start keeping... Read More
Some of my greatest teachers have taught me that faith... Read More
What type of person grabs your attention and motivates you?... Read More
Life is full of ups and downs, trials, and tribulations.... Read More
His name sounds as Finn. He has beautiful blue eyes... Read More
Who Are you?Have you ever asked yourself the question 'Who... Read More
We all hear of the concept of the "Enlightened Master",... Read More
Spirituality |