“No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.” (Ephesians 5:29 NLT)

 

In yesterday’s devotion, we looked at the problems that arise when you prioritize yourself in marriage. Today we’re going to expand the picture and look at the problems that arise when you prioritize yourself as a believer.

So often today we hear about the importance of self-image, self-love, self-worth, and self-esteem. We even hear it proclaimed from our pulpits: “Doesn’t Jesus say in Mark 12:31, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’? First, you must love yourself before you can love your neighbor.” Wrong.

Jesus was not teaching you to first love yourself and then love your neighbor. Rather, He was teaching that you already love yourself, so now love your neighbor. Look again at the apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:29: “No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church” (NLT). We already have self-love. Now we need to love others in the same way.

You’ll hear people say things like, “I’m trying to find myself,” to explain their inward gaze. Jesus said, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39 NIV). In other words, if you want to find out what your life was really intended for, deny yourself. You’ve heard the expression, “Finders, keepers; losers, weepers.” We could take what Jesus is saying and call it “losers, keepers.” The people who lose their lives, in reality, keep them.

Think of it in computer terms. Self-regard, self-image, self-love, self-worth, and self-esteem take up enormous storage space in our lives. They leave little capacity to operate efficiently in other important areas, especially when it comes to serving or having empathy for others.

Isaiah 1:17 says, “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows” (NLT). But how can you do those things if your focus is on yourself?

You’ll find no wavering in Paul’s words in Philippians 3:7–9: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him” (NLT). He knew for certain that he had made the right decision in losing his life for Christ’s sake.

People who “lose” their lives as Jesus instructed discover an amazing truth. God loves us far more than we can ever love ourselves. He knows far more than we do about what will bring us lasting fulfillment and joy. So when we sacrifice our self-interest for His sake, we gain far more than we lose.

 

Reflection Question: What’s been your experience in losing and finding your life in your walk with Christ?

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