The One Who Loves Me….

I’m a self-worshipper, it’s true.

As I was reflecting on John 14 this morning, Jesus repeats a similar phrase throughout, “the one who loves me obeys what I command.”

I asked the Lord, what is it that you command and Matthew 22:37-29 came flooding to my mind.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul…..and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love your neighbor as yourself? Lord, do I do this?

Immediately, the Lord showed me the deep selfishness that takes precedence so often in my own heart. If I truly loved my neighbor as myself I would seek to honor my neighbor as much as I seek to honor my own name. I would seek to set aside as much time for them as I do for my own hobbies.

It’s not a question of if you love yourself or not, because there are many of us who hate ourselves. I lived in that place, years ago, but by the grace of God, the Lord lifted me from that pit. That doesn’t mean we should then hate our neighbor if we hate ourselves. We all love ourselves. We love our time, money, hobbies, relationships, cars, homes, successes, vices and all that stuff we own that’s suppose to make us happy.

We love it all. Are we willing to love our neighbor in that way? Are we willing to let go of us to give them precedence in our hearts and minds? Are we willing to set aside our agenda, our wants, our hopes and dreams to serve someone else in a sacrificial way?

It’s easy to serve someone when it doesn’t cost us much, we can feel good about what we did and brag about it on social media. It’s difficult when serving someone means letting go of something we hold dear; our time, money, or idols we love deeply.

Underneath the surface we’re all mostly, self-worshippers. We love us. We love our idols. I know I do, but I’m praying for God to make me hate them instead, so that I can live more freely in the grace and mercy of God.

Go and love your neighbor as yourself today with a fierce, sacrificial kind of love and do it without expecting anything in return. The grace of God will cover you when you do as you move from being a worshipper of self to a true worshipper of the glory of God.

Lord, give us the grace to love our neighbor as ourselves today! For the glory of YOUR great name!