The Lord loves you and will never forsake you

 Kristen...I totally agree with you! I am glad that you feel the same way. The problem is that we love ourselves TOO much. The reason that we dont love others is because we love ourselves too much and we are prideful!!! Thats why Philippians 2:3 says "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." (which is the verse before the one that you quoted on christ's example) awesome~!

In Christ alone,

Sarah :)

That is so true!!

It's like this... God created us... and since God makes everything perfect... just the way He wanted it. And when we pick on ourselves, put out flaws, or just not like ourselves... its like saying... "God I am not satisified with how you made me."

Wow!! Could you imagine meeting up with Jesus in heaven and Him asking you, why? Why don't you like the very thing that He created to be unique in it's own way?

someone said this at a youth conference i was part of four years ago and i still remember it..

"here is a five pound note.. would you like it?"

of course, being a skint teenager i called out "yes!" along with all the others in the room. he then crumpled it up. asked would we like it. we all said "yes!" he then screwed it up tighter in his palm and made a little tear in it.

he asked us again if we wanted it it. seeing past thew crumples, creases and little tear, we saw the vaule and worth of this piece of paper and screamed out out much we would like this money.

the preacher said, this is like you, only you are worth so, so much more than this. you may have been through troubles and may have little creases and may not feel you look wonderful BUT Jesus and other people around you can see you value and your worth. it doesnt matter what you look like, you are so very precious to God. I mean he gave his Son for you!!!!

he turned round and said God wants me to give this to someone special. he walked over to me and i slowly lifted my head and brought my hands out of my sleeves and received this five pound note. i wept.

much love in Christ, Christina xx

Wow, Ryan, thanks for that story. You did a good enough job to get the point across, so that's good enough for me.

I really needed to hear that. Thanks!

SB

Hey. all i have to say is thank you. i really needed to hear that because im very insecure sometimes...that really made me feel better about my self and it help me learn that i need to love myself. thanks! ~*CoRi*~

I like that story!

Kayla

I agree!

JV

Not sure if anyone has stated this already, but I don't think we have to convince any person to love his or her self any more. I hear what you are saying, but be careful of the pride of life… I mean, isn't that part of the problem of not loving others? We love ourselves too much. Do not misunderstand me: I agree with the premise here. True believers need to have a good, comprehensive view of who they are in Christ. He becomes our ultimate identity. The place to begin is there - with God. We cannot start with ourselves. We are ugly. We are sinners. We are tainted with the hate, deceit, selfishness, and pride of life in a fallen world. If there is anything beautiful about us, it is Christ in us. If we look at ourselves and say you are an ugly thing, then there are two reasons: One, we are ugly and far outside the image of Christ. Two, we have a poor understanding of how much Christ loves us and how to love Him - His work in us. There is a difference between loving ourselves and having the right knowledge of our identities in Him.

This is so true. We often put ourselves down and forget that this displeases God and dishonors Him because He created us. So what I mean is that when we say I'm crap then  what we are really saying is God makes crap which of course is totally not true. God makes awesome things and awesome people in all shapes and sizes. So no matter how you look or whatever God made you like that, and sees you as a beautiful creation of His and nothing less.

I can be such a hypocrite about this as I'm struggling on a daily basis with depression. Some people say that being depressed can't happen to Christians, but it does. I can say that for a fact. I want to be the person God created me to be, but that doesn't mean that I don't get depressed sometimes still. I'm a work in progress after all. . .

GOOD STORY CHAMP

I totaly disagree with this. There is no way Jesus was making the piont that we need to love ourselves. This completly goes aginst all of his other teachings. Think of it this way. When you woke up this morning, you put some cloths on. Probly brushed your teeth and you eat some breakfast. When you finished doing your hair, makeup, or whatever, did you run to your neighbors to see if they where ready for school? Did you check to see if they had eaten, brushed thier teeth, and are wearing cloths that match? Well, no, but if you "loved" your neighbor as much as you loved yourself, you would make shure that they too where ready for school. I know that this isn't quite the point Jesus was getting accross, but my piont is we have no problem loving ourselves. The problem with our socioty isnt that we have "low self esteem" but that we have very high self esteem. If you feel bad about yourself its a clear indication that you are too focused on yourself.

Another example. I have a friend that has thretened to comitt suicide on a number of occasions. He hated his life, and thought that nobody liked him. His problem has nothing to do with low self esteem, in fact he is so selfish that he can only think of himself and his problems. When he got over this SIN of selfishness, and started concerning himself with others. He was in a greast mood!

So back to the passage. "Love your nieghbors as your self". Jesus's piont was that we must love others!! Read Pauls letters to the churches. When he talks about diffrent sins that the churches are living in, he almost always menches selfishness. NO WHERE is scripture do we see a passage that says we must focus on self. This is, to be totaly honest, complete hipocricy. It goes against EVERYTHING Jesus said!

Joshua,

I liked what you said. THank you for pointing out that self focus is a SIN! I appreciate your boldness in the truth!

In Christ alone,

Sarah

I agree. it is very true, but there is so much you could add. It says in the bible that god knit you together, it also says he thinks you are beautiful. I think that in our world this truth is hard to accept. The worldly things that tell us that to be beautiful you must to this,this,this and this are all lies but they are easier to accept. I have come to find that I live a much happier life beleiving gods truth than beleiving the lies of the world, now I am nor saying that I am perfect, no one that has ever been born is, accept the beautiful christ who took our place † ! I am just saying that at least now I can look at things and see the truth from the lies, that makes life so much better. Now I know that I am beautiful, because god took the time to make me. When I think something privatly about the worldly lies I just need to remember that it is like I am thinking that gods creation is not googd enough, and it is a lie, because god created us perfect, and it is our stupid sinful spirit that makes us unperfect.                                                    

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Whoa!

i never thought that what you said to your self would mean so much! I'm new to this group and already its been encouraging...

Thanks.

ESther

hey im new here and this was exactly somethin i needed to hear now that ive read that i kinda think it was a little dumb for me to hate myself thanks dude.

well here's the way i see it, u can treat others nice to get them to treat you nice,simple concept really. what you do to yourself doesn't effect how others treat you ,unles of course you're very open in hateing yourself.

THAT WAS AN EYE-OPENER!! I ALWAYS ATTEMPT TO BUILD OTHER PEOPLE UP WHEN I CAN AND RARELY REALIZE THAT I DONT HAVE ALL THAT MUCH CONFIDENCE AND LOVE FOR MYSELF. SO THANKS FOR THE REALIZATION

I just left a group that was suppose to be for animal rights and was really repelled by it. They had some really crazy people on there and no moderator.

Then I came to your sight Rayan and was so uplifted. I have hated myself for a long time and now I realize I was trying to be who everyone wanted me to be. Not who God created me to be and accomplish. I think I this spiritual journey I will find me and be able to embrace myself. God does love us just as we are. The hang up I have is being obese. God did not create that I did. I feel I have messed with his creation and feel self - hatred for that. I know it is a wall I hide behind so now I think as I go on this journey that will be left behind at some point and the fat will leave as I come out of hiding. Thanks for the awesome message. We just need to watch becoming to self absorbed. I eyes need to be on the Lord. We cannot get to caught up with self.

God Bless

Becca

I relized how blessed I am to be made from God, and I should always love myself and others no matter what because they're a creation of God himself

I heard a story once of a woman who went to her pastor and she told him that she had been praying for God to help her love others as she loved herself.  This woman  loved God and wanted to be obedient to Him, but was having such a tough time doing this.  The pastor told her that she was doing exactly what she was praying for but the problem was that she hated herself.  Ryan, I tell you man, that was a good word you brought in this post and thats what the story of this woman reminded me of.  I know for myself that although I have all I need, I find myself getting down on myself for not doing this or that good enough.  I am my worst enemy and critic.  I need to take my eyes off of myself and put it on the one who loves me and gives me my identity (For I died, and my life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3).  My brothers and sisters, I tell you, whatever we gaze upon, that is what we become.  Let us learn to love ourselves as God loves us, and come into agreement with Him in this.  We are theobject of His affection and he relentlessly pursues ours hearts, even while we try to convince Him not to.  Thanks again Ryan for the blessed message.  Love you all.  ~Rob (djdidymus10)