This may seem to be an irrelevant question, but it is essential to the God given walk.
In fact, all of the law and the prophets are linked to the understanding of this question. You see, we are indirectly commanded to love ourselves. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” In order to love our neighbor we must first love ourselves.
The relationship we have with our neighbors is a direct reflection of how we feel about ourselves. Are feelings of guilt and self-destructive behavior causing us to withhold our love due to self-condemnation? In other words, does sin have control of our life style driving a wedge between us?
The objective of loving one’s self is not about you, but rather about the freedom to express your love toward your neighbor. Dealing with your sin can only be done one way. If you accept the complete and utter forgiveness for your sins provided by God himself through his Son Jesus Christ, all debt held against your soul is cancelled. Grasping that truth will set you free from the shackles of bondage that destroy your self-image and cancel your ability to love.
Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 Only this new found freedom can bring about the love within that is created by the Spirit of God. You literally become a spring of living water, a wonderful and bountiful supply.
Consider the word love and its meaning. We love our cars and our spouse’s and God with the same word, although with a completely different meaning. In the Greek vocabulary there are 8 different word variations of the emotion of love. The bible, written in Greek, uses a particular word for love in the context of this description. That word is agape. It means essentially to seek the highest good in another, to cherish and adore. There is a deeper meaning revealed in the following scripture. Jesus summarized everything into one paragraph using the same word for love, “agape” in each case. Matt 22:37-40
Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
God has made it abundantly clear that our love for ourselves is embedded in the greatest commandment of all. He has overcome the barriers by laying down his life that you may live. He has given you the freedom to become a Son of God. “To as many as believe in his name, gave he the power to become the Sons of God”. You have the power to love one another and love God with the same gift that is within you. His love flows through you without effort or works. You are an instrument in his hands for his purpose. He directs the steps of righteous. If we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thine house.”
Perhaps the most overlooked work that God has done is bridging the gap between heaven’s perfection and earth’s corruption. His sacrifice not only saves us from hell, but it gave him access to us while we are yet in our sins. God dwells among us even now. “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and sup with him and he with me” The very presence of God is within us. We need not seek him in heavenly places, but we are to seek him in one another. Matthew 18:20 – For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Paul said, “It is no longer I but Christ that lives in me.”
Love yourself and then seek the living God in others until Christ is formed within them.