LOVE THYSELF?Sample

Day One

“If I can just learn how to love myself...” How often have you heard someone say something along those lines? There are far too many people in our culture, Christians included, who focus way too much on the topic of how to love yourself. Before you abruptly stop this plan, please hear me out. This is all from a place of love. There is plenty of encouragement to come—I'm making a point.

I fully understand that Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself (see Matthew 22:39), but people take the “as yourself” part of the verse too literally. If you were to literally love your neighbor as yourself, but you hate yourself, then it would condone hating your neighbor. Therefore, we can know that’s not what Jesus meant when He said those words. He was simply stressing the importance of how much we should love people.

Another way to look at it is that Jesus knows that it’s in our sinful human nature to love and prioritize ourselves over others. So in the same way that you want to serve yourself first and give yourself pleasure first, love others in that same way. Put others before yourself. That’s the love of Jesus right there (see John 15:13).

You can know that you are worthy of being loved because God loves you! I never want anyone to be in a place of self-hatred, so please don’t misinterpret what I’m saying in this plan. Your life has value, you are loved, and your life is so precious to God—He cares about you and loves you so much. He created you uniquely and with purpose! You are awesomely and wonderfully made (see Psalm 139:14)! Your worth is not determined by worldly beauty, success, what others say about you, or any other false “value markers” such as these. You are made in God's image, and He loves what He sees: you. Your worth and value are found in God alone. Value is determined based on the price that people are willing to pay for something—if it's valuable, people will pay a hefty price. The Father determined your value and worth once for all when He gave up the most valuable of all eternity to have you, by sending His one and only Son to die, for your sins, in your place, on a cross, for you. That's your value! And nothing you do or have ever done can change your God-determined value and worth. That shows how valuable you are in His eyes. That’s real love (see 1 John 4:10).

YOUR LIFE IS VALUABLE!