The Total Package

The entire law is summed up in a single command:  "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Galatians 5:14

Back in the day of my late teens and early twenties, a band that pro-ported to be more "popular than Jesus Christ" sang this song: "All you need is love."  And if you google "love songs" like this one,  you will see that there are huge numbers of the same.  Needless to say, love is indeed important.

Given loves significance, therefore,  let's reflect on what the ancient wisdom writer (Paul) is really saying in our red letter addition above:  He is not saying "love one another."  He is not saying "Love only yourself."  He is not saying "Love your neighbor before yourself or instead of yourself." He is saying "You and I need to use the standard of loving 'yourself' as the guide for loving others.  AND when you do so, you are living in a way that sums up God's entire law.  This is "The Total Package" so far as God is concerned.

Here is my question for you as I journey with you on this blog...  Maybe a question for me???  How well are we demonstrating love to you and me?  What kind of patience is being demonstrated to ourselves?  What about kindness?  Are we rude to ourselves?  Do we get mad with ourselves rather easily?  Do we keep a running list of where we "mess up?"  You get my drift? 

You may ask, "SoJourner why are you asking these questions?"  My answer is that I am asking these questions to follow up with this:  How you self talk, self walk, view yourself. i.e,  love yourself, most likely will be reflected in how you treat others for good or ill.  If you are NOT loving yourself in a healthy way, you may NOT have a healthy model for loving "those other people."  In other words, the wounded beget wounding others.  The one experiencing belovedness tends to demonstrate love.

Here is a challenge:  Go to 1 Corinthians 13 and read it through, especially in the NIV.  Now focus on verses 4-8a (Come on you can do it :o)  Now, look at the characteristics demonstrated by love.  Pick a few of them out to try on yourself, and then on others.  Be sure to invite the LORD to transform you to re-norm you. Practice, practice and practice some more.  Then ...

Be Blessed 2 day ... Especially 2 day.

SoJourner


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