Loving Like Jesus
A lot of our world’s problems could be solved if we learned how to love others properly, and to dispel the lie that we aren’t supposed to love ourselves well. The issue arises when there is no proper and biblical teaching, and those who lack the proper biblical, hermeneutical, and expositional knowledge of the Word to properly teach this love. It isn’t a love that focus on vanity, or self-gain, or other selfish ambitions; it is a love focused on others. Think of the hierarchy of love like this; God loved us first, we love God, we experience His love, we love ourselves, we love others. It is both a vertical and horizontal love, moving, actionable, and living. A stagnant love is a love that no longer takes action or promotes God and others first before self.
When we are selfish in our relationship to our spouses, we are destined for failure. But again, when we are selfish in our relationship with God and others, we are destined for failure. There is a fine balance, necessary for the proper giving and receiving of love. For some men, it is rare for them to not love themselves. For some women, it is rare for them to love themselves. For a man to love his wife like himself is for him to love his wife as Christ loves; relentlessly, unconditionally, proactively. It is because of a perverse and evil world that this has been convoluted into a wicked and disillusioned love. Don’t wait on others to love us, we love others first, as Christ loved us first. Forgive others first, don’t wait on them to forgive. Be a proactive lover. When we remove the demonstrative love of Jesus from our lives, we have a watered down, diluted, impure, weak, unauthentic love that is powerless.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving me well, perfectly, and unconditionally. Help me to love You, myself, my spouse, my children, and others as You love me. -Amen
In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.
Ephesians 5:28 (NLT)
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