Love

Love

Self-love always causes you to think of yourself; everything revolves around “you.” On the other hand, the love of Christ causes a person to think of the others’ best; everything revolves around how we can best serve and help them. Self-love always compels a person to think about what he likes and desires and what could benefit him, what could be useful and practical for him, and all the things that others should do for him. One likes to be served; one demands and demands of others, thinking “I can’t do it,” “Poor me,” “Others could help them,” etc.

The love of Christ compels us to consider what the others might like and desire, what could benefit them, and everything that would be fitting for us to do for the others. We would like to serve the others, and it pleases us to give and give and give again in every way; all kinds of good things, thinking that “They cannot manage this; poor people, I could help them,” etc.

The strongest and clearest expression of self-love we have is in Proverbs 30:15: “The leech has two daughters, crying, ‘Give! Give!’” What is it they want? All kinds of things, everything: even the lifeblood of their neighbor! This is the essence of self-love. It even sucks out the blood of its neighbor to the last drop, if worse comes to worst.

However, through His beloved Son Jesus Christ, God has powerfully and clearly shown us what love is. He gave His most precious possession, His only begotten Son who, in turn, served and gave Himself until His last drop of blood. How unspeakably far removed this is from how people usually are! The old man is not crucified or put off, and therefore he lives and is active; as a result his leech nature also lives.

May God grant that this nature comes to an end in each and every one so that love can increase in heart and life, in thought, word, and deed.