Love Yourself

<p>Good morning, Five Minute Families! Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.</p><p>Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.</p><p>How often do we as parents cite these verses and the others like these to our kids or ourselves?</p><p>Nope, this five-minute family devotional is not about pride, vanity, and arrogance. It is about the misinterpretation of those verses by some folks who are too hard on themselves and thus don’t live the abundant life that God intends for His people, despite our living in a sinful and fallen world. </p><p>What are the greatest commandments?</p><p>Matthew 22:37-40 answers this question: “He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”</p><p>If all the law and the prophets depend on these two commands, we better get them right. And, that second command contains two words we often forget, especially in light of those pride, haughtiness, be humble verses… “As yourself”</p><p>Often, upon the first formal reading the “as yourself” is included. Yet, as it gets repeated during a lesson or discussion, we often stop with just “love your neighbor.” We make pallet signs, put it on billboards, tell others when they wrong us “hey, aren’t you supposed to love your neighbor” … Love your neighbor.</p><p>As yourself.</p><p>Reality is… you ARE supposed to love yourself. </p><p>If we properly follow the first great commandment: “love the lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” then you cannot despise his creation… you.</p><p>I have walked through much of my life despising myself… I talk too much, I don’t know how to end a conversation, I procrastinate, I am impatient, I could go on, but I won’t.</p><p>While I don’t have such self-doubt and