Pastor Brad's 80's Christian Metal Forum

Joined : 25 Jun 2007 Posts : 85

LIVING IT OUT!

I'm Lovin em... Spiritual Fitness in a fast food world…
"Loving yourself"
For the weekend of Feb. 17, 08

When you hear the phrase, "Loving yourself" – what thoughts come to mind?

Can you think of some people who "love themselves"? And in this case—Is this a positive thing or not?

We don’t want to become snobs , or prideful---but it is a very good, and even godly thing to "love yourself" in a balanced, healthy way.

First we need to define the word "love". Every place that the Bible calls us to LOVE our enemies, our neighbors, OURSELVES, or God---it uses a specific form of love---"agape"---which is "The high esteem which God has for His human children and which they should in turn have toward Him and each other."

Talk about that definition a bit—apply it to LOVING our enemies… our neighbors… and ourselves… what would this kind of love look like… how might we express it in practical ways?

God has expressed how much he loves (values and esteems) us in many ways… He CREATED us as one of a kind—individuals—the Bible declares that he "knit us together in our mother’s womb" (Ps. 139:13)… He has plans for each one of us (Jer. 29:11, Eph. 2:10)… He was willing to die for us on the cross… and he is creating a place called heaven for everyone who trusts Christ as Savior so that He can be with us FOREVER. Don’t just read over this … think about each of those… how amazing is that!?

Sadly —even though God has demonstrated His love for us in huge and amazing ways—many still miss it—they run themselves down… abuse their bodies… waste their lives… in short—they just don’t get how precious and valuable they are. Brad mentioned three steps that will help us love ourselves in a balanced and godly way—let’s talk about each one:

STEP ONE: CONVERSION—a new birth.

Why do you think it is so important for us to be "born again" if we want to love ourselves in a balanced and godly way?

How do the following Scripture passages underscore this?

Galatians 5:19-20 "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,[ a ] fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders,[ b ] drunkenness, revelries, and the like…"

John 3:3 Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.[ a ] "

STEP TWO: CONFESSION—a new perspective

To CONFEESS means "to agree with God" regarding everything He says about Who He is… and everything He says that we are. That’s a HUGE statement isn’t it? Broken down to it’s simplest form—the Bible says—God is perfect in every way—power, holiness, grace, love, etc… and we are broken, fallen, sinful—yet loved (and if we trust Christ) forgiven, made new, loved, accepted, gifted and adopted into the family of God.

So now—reflect on that paragraph above and share for a little bit on why CONFESSION leads us to a place of "agape"ing ourselves in a balanced and godly way.

STEP THREE: COACHING---a new relationship with yourself

Ever since the fall—we’ve had a hard time taking personal responsibility for our own lives… we’ve instead focused on what’s wrong with everyone around us. We make excuses for our own failures… but we are quick to point out the failures of others. We give criticism well—but we struggle with receiving it.

Part of what God calls us to as Followers of Jesus is to let go of trying to change other people---and to focus on being the BEST US we can be—to quit critiquing others and just love (agape) and bless them.

Read this passage and talk about any truths you see in it… then talk about how this step helps us love ourselves sin a balanced, godly way.

Romans 14:1-4 (The Message) Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.

Pray—ask God to help you love yourselves in a balanced and godly way—that blesses you and others… and brings glory to God!
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80s metal blessings,
pb
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