“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 19:18 (NIV)
You’ve seen this verse a million times. What is your focus? I’ve read, you focus on the neighbor. You’ve got to give them love. Another person writes No, no, that’s wrong. Focus on yourself, loving someone else is easy.
What if we look at the last part? “I am the Lord.” Maybe God is saying I’m going to handle everything in due time. Don’t keep thinking about this issue and plotting your revenge and the demise of your enemy. Forget about it. I’m God. I’ll take care of it.
If you are human, you’ve learned that you aren’t worth anything. At least one person has taught you this by actions or verbal remarks. So why do we agree with them? I know, deep, deep down if I look into myself. I agree with them. You aren’t supposed to think you are great. That is arrogance. No one likes an arrogant person.
But being confident in yourself and your God-given abilities isn’t arrogance.
10 Ways to Show Love to Ourselves and Others
Number 1
- Love God first and seek Him before you can ever love yourself or anyone else.
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV)
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Psalm 37:4 (NIV)
Number 2
- Let someone else have the spotlight
“Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.”
Proverbs 18:2 (NIV)
Let’s say someone is telling you about something they’ve done in person or on Facebook and you’ve been there and done that. Let them have the moment.
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
1 Corinthians 13:6 (NIV)
Number 3
- Be wise in your actions, words, and deeds.
“Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.”
Proverbs 4:6 (NIV)
Number 4
- Don’t tear yourself or others down.
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)
“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.”
Proverbs 16:28 (NIV)
Everyone has good days and bad days. Everyone wants to be liked and loved whether they admit it or not. Most people don’t wake up and say in the mirror “I’m going to see how many people I can get to hate me today.” Pray for those that you don’t like.
Number 5
- Forgive yourself and others.
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’
Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'”
Matthew 18:20-22 (NIV)
Everybody makes mistakes. You need to forgive yourself and others.
Number Six
- Find something you enjoy doing and excel in it (as long as it’s legal)
“ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.'”
Exodus 31 2-5 (NIV)
Number Seven
- Treat people how you want to be treated, BUT don’t expect it in return. You will get disappointed a lot if you expect it.
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Luke 6:31 (NIV)
Number Eight
- Keep in contact with those who will lift you up and you can lift them up in return.
“After Job had prayed for his friends,the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.”
Job 42:10 (NIV)
Number Nine
- Do something kind for someone else. It will make you feel better.
“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”
Luke 6:35 (NIV)
Number Ten
- Pray that God will help you to see yourself the way he sees you.
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
1 Peter 3:12 (NIV)
Use these ideas as a starting point and add some more. Everyday you need to love yourself and when you do, you will love others.
