Friday Nurturing Content - 02/16/24

Happy Friday, Friend!

Happy belated Valentine’s Day to you! 💕

We are celebrating love all month long here at The Christian Authors Network!

Not just any kind of love, though. Our theme for this month is: Love God, Love Others.

Last week, I shared some information with you on how to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Today, I want to spend some time talking about loving ourselves.

Now, I know this may seem like a very new-age concept and not entirely biblical, but here are some thoughts:

1) How can we love others if we do not first love ourselves?

The Bible actually instructs us to love others in the way that we love ourselves (Matt. 22:39). Here, Jesus explains that the second greatest command is to love your neighbor. But, in saying it this way, He has given us permission to love our own selves.

However, He also sets up a boundary to that self-love.

Loving yourself does not mean elevating yourself above others. It is not a conceited kind of love. Rather, it’s a sacrificial love. The kind that considers itself equal to others and seeks to serve others in the same way it may serve oneself.

2) Loving ourselves reinforces the value and worth that God has placed on us and secures our identity in Christ.

Here are several Scriptures that speak to this:

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

God created us out of an abundance of love for the purpose of loving others. When we love ourselves, we not only give testimony to His great craftmanship but we also step into His divine purpose for us, which is to love and serve others.

So, how do we love ourselves? Here are seven practical, biblical, and God-centered ways that you can go about loving yourself:

1. Find value in your identity in Christ. Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:17

2. Embrace your uniqueness and stop comparing yourself to others. Psalm 139:14; 1 Corinthians 12:14-20

3. Keep growing your relationship with Christ. James 4:8; Philippians 3:10

4. Be a good steward of your strengths and talents. 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 12:6-11

5. Practice being kind and gracious to yourself when you fail. Romans 8:1; 38-39; 2 Corinthians 12:9

6. Be intentional in the way you live—how you speak, what you do, etc. Colossians 3:17; Proverbs 16:3

7. Always be joyful and pursue gratitude. Nehemiah 8:10; Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Dedicated to your success,

Tam

P.S. How’s the Monthly Challenge coming along? Hopefully, you got around to writing your love letter to God last week and are now ready to send one to yourself this week. Use this email as a guide!