I was harkening back to the days of the Hallmark holiday movies that we so looked forward to back in the day before we were Christians.
I recalled the teaching message in these movies that people were cranky and mean because they didn't love themselves. Then I realized God said exactly the opposite of what was in these movies.
We become more loving and kind when we love others better than ourselves.
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
Modern psychology scholars have changed this commandment to focus on trying to love yourself when God's commandment teaches that we already love ourselves more than we should, that if we love others as much as we love ourselves we would always be kind and respectful to them. But because we love ourselves more than anyone else in our culture many are often rude and unkind to one another and think it is alright.
The more we love ourselves the less we love others. We are born loving ourselves too much.
As Dave Hunt once said in one of his books: "if a boy looks in the mirror and says he hates himself we would say he has low self-esteem. The opposite is actually true, the boy believes he deserves better than what God gave him so he becomes angry, he has high self-esteem.
God's children are not called to love themselves, they are called to have confidence in Christ but not in self.
If we are going to be Christ like we must be willing to lay down our lives for one another.
1 John 3:16 " 16 By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."
Our culture has been trained and indoctrinated for four generations to think of themselves as special and superior, resulting in entitlement thinking, anger when this is not extended to them. This mentality of selfishness is out of control now. Even good deeds are done to elevate self, expecting to be praised ad-nauseum for all that we do is the desire in most people, we know this because they look for praise and boast about themselves.
Authentically and selflessly serving others raises our level of love and kindness to others, it brings joy and creates bonding and closeness. So many people are lonely today because they seek self and lack trustworthy companionship that makes others feel safe and loved.
Love and respect have diminished because of the lack of selfless love.
These "feel good" Hallmark movies play soft happy music that manipulates the emotions to think that all the false docrtine in them is good because the senses are guided by the emotional high.
Notice we will cry and have emotions even when we know the doctrine in the movie is the opposite of what God says. Our emotions are so easily manipulated by soft words and music that we set aside what is right to enjoy the feelings even though the message is antithetical to Christ.
This is also the reason so many Christians cannot see the holidays for what they are, largely pagan, even desiring to make them about Christ because of their feelings. Correct doctrine doesn't matter to most Christians, only the feelings all the manipulation brings.
Just recently I watched a Hallmark movie that I had seen before only this time I was looking at it with Spiritual eyes. The show was about an angel being sent to earth to help a woman grow her self-esteem. She was angry she wasn't getting what she wanted so the angel began working to show her how to love herself to get what she wanted.
Never at any time did this young woman consult with God or admit she was self-absorbed. The entire show was based on making everyone happy and getting what they wanted. Anger about selfish desires was never exposed as the sin that it is, nor was there anyone who attempted to counsel the young woman to stop focusing on herself and begin focusing on God.
We have a culture now that thinks this is a wonderful message. This culture will not accept correction, it is seen as a personal attack.
When was the last time you corrected someone to help with an understanding and heard them respond with gratefulness to hear it?
Mostly our corrections are treated with contempt and the punishment for daring to share comes and remains forever. Those who have become angry at our correction will hold onto with all of their strength believing they are right.
We are living in those last days Christ warned us about. We do not have to be walking in sadness over it, however, the challenge is to remain faithful to God as we navigate through this world alone without support and love.
We can avoid becoming like the world around us by seeking Christ through prayer and Bible reading. If at all possible we can be with other believers who want truth above all else, even willing to be alone to remain faithful to Christ.
Hallelujah!
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