It’s important to understand that when we talk about loving ourselves, it is always connected to, grows from, and grows toward, our love for God.

On the one hand, gratitude is everywhere praised in Scripture, and we know that we have more to be thankful for than anyone. On the other hand, we all still struggle with “the love of the world and the things in the world.”

God loves us. God loves you. God loves me. God loves them.

God’s love is proper and true. His love is not cheap self-care hacks, or unhealthy self-absorption. His love is healing, hope-giving, good and right.

There is something about how we “love God” that can help us understand how we are “to love ourselves” in a way that draws us toward loving others well.

Nowhere is the upside-down glory of God’s ways as prominent, surprising, and delightful, as in the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The will of God delivers justice, mercy, and does so with astonishing wisdom.

We love God’s works because they are wonderful. His awesome power, His wisdom, are on full display in all He has done to work our Great Salvation. Nowhere is this as clear as in the life of Jesus Christ.

As we continue to reflect on what we love when we love God, let us consider what God’s Word has accomplished. That is, last week we saw what God’s Word is, and now let’s look at what God’s Word does.

What we love when we love someone is, we love them. Nonetheless, it is appropriate to describe what we love about them specifically.

What we would see, if we could see God truly, would be an infinite—never-begun and never-ending—perfect, all-powerful, all-wise, mutual delight. Each person of God directs all of the virtues of God to the adoration and celebration of the other persons of God.

Hawaii has a lot of natural beauty, but they lack the resources necessary for stable, healthy, growing, Gospel preaching churches. Our partnership with Oahu Theological Seminary is working to change that. And it's working.

This is the beginning of a short series of reflections on What We Love When We Love God. What we’ll find is that, Yes, our journey into His love will do something to us that will prepare us for doing something for others.

In two weeks I will be flying to Hawaii to visit Fellowship Bible Church’s ministry partners, the Bruno family and Oahu Theological Seminary.
 
Let me tell you the story.

Are we living with a sense that “it is well, with my soul”? Are we living with a sense “all things are working together for good”? . . . This is the freedom and the joy of which the whole Bible speaks.

In as much as depends on us, let’s put our thumb on the scale for grace and for encouragement.

When Christ’s Righteousness is our Director, well, it’s a whole new way of life—new direction with a new objective.

Jesus is our Savior and Lord, our Shepherd and Teacher. Who He is, what He has done, and what that means for us—this is our new reality.

All overseers and taskmasters—you and me and everyone—exert that influence and give those directions in ways shaped by our selfishness and sin. But Jesus changes everything.

Surprising insights can sometimes come from just reading a little bit more. A little more context, a few more connections, and things stand out differently.