How Live Your Best Life in Love with Yourself

Text: Mark 12:31

Loving yourself is not mentioned so much in the Bible. The emphasis is generally on loving God and loving people. While self love has become a common lingo in today’s life, the concept often tends towards selfishness.

I believe that our Lord, Jesus, in giving us the second most important commandment (love others as you love yourself), implies that we must love ourselves and then give the same measure back to others.

5 Things you need to know about loving yourself:

1. Loving yourself is not automatic. You develop it over time. Genesis 8:22 GNT
2. Loving yourself requires learning about God’s love for you. 1 John 4:19 EEB
3. Loving yourself requires learning about other areas of life. Proverbs 4:5,6 GNT
4. Loving yourself is not a destination, it’s a journey!
5. You can only live your best life when you love yourself.

What are the biggest obstacles to loving yourself?

1. Shame (I am flawed).
2. Performance (I am not doing well enough).

How can you overcome these obstacles and live your best life loving yourself?

1. Build and maintain a loving relationship with God. 1 John 4:8,19
2. Let everything you do for/to yourself be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14 EEB
   // Be patient with yourself // Be kind to yourself Take care of yourself
3. Have a balanced view of yourself. 1 Corinthians 13:4 NLT
   // Be humble Don’t think lowly of yourself; have faith in yourself
   // Do not be jealous of others doing good; learn from them
4. Get wisdom about God's love and important areas of your life. Hosea 4:6 NKJV

When you love yourself, you would unlock the following:

1. Your confidence.
2. Wisdom to make better decisions and relate better with others.
3. Your leadership abilities.
4. Your inner peace.

Action Plan

1. Create a weekly, monthly & yearly plan for loving yourself.
2. Follow through on the plan: practice and make it a habit.
3. Create a personal list of scriptures and confessions for loving yourself.
4. Pray to God to help you continually grow in loving yourself.

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