No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!

— 1 John 4:12 (AMPC)

We cannot give away what we don’t have. Trying to love others is useless if we have never received God’s love for ourselves. We should love ourselves in a balanced way, not a selfish, self-centered way. I teach that we should love ourselves, not be in love with ourselves.

To love yourself, you simply need to believe in the love God has for you; know that it is everlasting, unchangeable, and unconditional. Let His love affirm you and make you feel secure, but don’t begin to think of yourself more highly than you should (see Romans 12:3). Loving ourselves does not mean we love all our behavior; it means that we love and accept the unique person God has created us to be.

I believe loving ourselves in a balanced way is what prepares us to let love flow through us to others. Without receiving God’s love for us in a healthy, appropriate way, we may have feelings of affection or respect for others, a humanistic type of love; but we certainly cannot love people unconditionally unless God Himself inspires and provokes that love.

The Holy Spirit purifies our hearts so we can allow the sincere love of God to flow through us (see 1 Peter 1:22) to others. This is part of being filled with the Spirit.

God wants us to express love to others. When we think of others and how we can bless them, we keep ourselves filled with the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of Love.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me to express love to others and share Your love that is in me, amen.

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