LOVERS OF SELF
No doubt we’re now in the end times. One of signs of the end times is that many people will become lovers of themselves (2 Timothy 3: 1-4).
This is quite concerning and a serious warning for every Believer not to be caught in the web of the love for self.
And you may ask: how can someone know that they’re operating in the realm of the love for self? Well, the Bible is explicit in declaring that the Christian love must be without boundaries – a kind of love termed as Agape (or endless).
Often times many Christians struggle to love in the Agape style i.e. without fear or favour as they end up holding back “something”. The Bible describes this kind of love as borne out of fear (1 John 4:18) and motivated by the love of self.
GOD’S KIND OF LOVE
God demonstrated the Agape kind of love when he freely relinquished His only son to die an excruciating death on the cross.
Below are a few of the attributes of God’s kind of love:
- Selfless: For God so loved the world that He gave His only son … (John 3:16). This scripture underscores God’s ability to love even with His most precious substance.
- Does not seek a reward: God’s love is never predicated on a reward (Romans 8:32).
- Without prejudice: God’s love is not limited to only those who have the capacity to love Him back in return. In fact, He first loved us (1 John 4:19). No wonder He encourages us to love everyone alike without prejudice (Luke 6:35).
LOVE LIKE GOD TODAY
The true test of God’s kind of love was given by Jesus Christ in John 15:13. That is, until we’re able to lay down our lives for those we claim to love, our love becomes somewhat imperfect.
Demonstrating this kind of love stems from understanding how to treat our neighbours viz:
- Putting others first: This can be very difficult but learning to relegate ourselves in favour of others can help inform how we treat them.
- Treating others exactly as you’d like them to treat you: No one likes to be treated unjustly. So, the same should apply to how we treat others
- Understanding that God is always watching: Often times people believe that they can get away with the injustice that they do to others. But this is not the case (Galatians 6:7-8).
