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.
personalized cleaning services Arlington Heights ...THE KABBALAH OF PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION: TURNING DARKNESS INTO LIGHT"In the... Read More
Christians all over the world will all be tempted in... Read More
We hear this word so often and have one thing... Read More
70% of people who send me feedback at http://www.insideoutmusic.net tell... Read More
Liam says to Joe; "where is your God now, when... Read More
In the game of billiards there are two things you... Read More
Each of us has far more potential to serve the... Read More
As we walk these halls of Life viewing the world... Read More
I am often asked to explain what I mean by... Read More
Forget what you have read or seen about vampires. The... Read More
As Christians, we know we need God in every aspect... Read More
I often ask myself this question. Not in the times... Read More
What really binds us to any negative emotional state in... Read More
The chakras are different coloured energy centres that originate from... Read More
Maybe once in a lifetime, we find ourselves seeking spiritual... Read More
forgiveness stories quotes definition and loveForgiveness is that quality in... Read More
It will all be clear in a minute, but first... Read More
We are apart of all that is, our consciousness spring... Read More
The possibility of almost 400 Old Testament prophesies coming to... Read More
Originating in what is now modern India; Tantra is at... Read More
Are you facing some challenges in your life right now?... Read More
The atmosphere surrounding the earth is still a matter of... Read More
I have a long-term goal--a life-long goal really--to develop the... Read More
Is it really possible that Don Juan could command the... Read More
As we walk along our paths in life, we will... Read More
apartment cleaning near Des Plaines ...Some of us might hear from time to time that... Read More
Uh, oh. I'm in trouble now. I found God. Now... Read More
An interesting question that frequently comes up is "Which Gods... Read More
"This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as... Read More
Lost, but you don't know where you're going.Lost is a... Read More
What is it with angels and digital clocks? I fell... Read More
In part one, I described an existence that is absolute,... Read More
An angel can be your best friend. Angels have been... Read More
One of the most frightening things... Read More
Universal Law is an invisible influence in every individual's life,... Read More
His name sounds as Finn. He has beautiful blue eyes... Read More
Enlightenment, which is as varied as each individual's fingerprint, is... Read More
In the movie "A Beautiful Mind" John Nash (played by... Read More
Are you always looking for bargains, especially something that you... Read More
"What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is... Read More
Surveys show that religion and spirituality play a central role... Read More
For many years of my life, I thought the spiritual... Read More
Maybe once in a lifetime, we find ourselves seeking spiritual... Read More
Our church is infested with lobby lizards. They crawl around... Read More
Worldwide extensive research is being published related to the mind-body... Read More
We often forget that we are human beings first, and... Read More
Celebrities and common people all over the world are known... Read More
Aristotle referred to happiness as the most we can achieve.... Read More
My thoughts can get a little edgy at night. Possibly... Read More
Prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United... Read More
Spirituality |