The Greatest Love and Self-image

The Greek language had three words for "Love"  First there was "eros," from which we get "erotic..  This was, of course a purely selfish love.  Then there was "Phileo" (Philadelphia), or "brotherly love"  This is the love of one family member for another.  But the Bible added a new one--"agape"   "Agape is a giving love, entirely unselfish. 

By way of both illustration and practical application, let me quote the following note from  Mary Ellen Grisham, publisher of "Eternal Link:"
After counseling young couples for years, a minister I know suggested that "love is what you do."  Young couples frequently have adjustments to make to the differences in romantic courtship and the realities of day-to-day living with the rigorous requirements of work, children, house and yard keeping, and all the many tasks required to maintain a good home and marriage.

Young wives in particular, experiencing the stress of many new responsibilities, worried that their feelings for their husbands were not always so tender and romantic as they had been during dating.  Even with a basis of sincere love, rushed schedules and economic necessities dimmed the glamour of marriage. 

With the advice that "love is what you do," the women could concentrate less on romantic feelings and more on positive doing--showing their love in practical and effective ways.  The active elements of good will and faith helped the marriages to retain the "zip and spice" of a well-balanced interaction in the homes--what old-time couples used to call "give and take."

That selfless love called agape that causes each of us to focus on the needs of others with no thought of return for ourselves is a high ideal of Christian love.  While it takes all kinds of love and loving to make a good home and marriage, the common element of "what you do" runs through all the forms that love takes.  From romantic love to brotherly and family love, the outer evidence shows in "what you do."

This last Greek word, agape,  is the word used to describe the love God has for us. As the song' "The Love of God" says:

O love of God, how rich, how pure,
How measureless and strong
It shall forevermore endure
The saints and angels' song

And were with ink the oceans filled
And were the skies of parchment made
And every blade of grass a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To write the love
of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky.

We are of great value both because of our creation and also because of the price paid for our redemption.  There is an old story which illustrates this perfectly.
A Young boy made a beautiful toy sailboat and took it to a lake to sail, but a gust of wind blew the boat out into the lake. The boat was lost. Several weeks later, the boy saw his sailboat in the window of a toy store. When he asked for his boat, the store owner said, "I own the sailboat now. If you want it you will have to buy it back."

The boy sold all he had to buy back his boat. After paying the store owner, the boy took his boat to his heart and said, "Little boat, you are twice mine, I made you, and now I brought you." Like that little boat, we are twice the Lord's - He made us, and Christ bought us back by paying the price for our sin with his own blood. It is the desire of my heart that you would know how great God's love is for you, and that you would receive His unspeakable gift by asking Him to be your Savior and Lord.

The Bible says in Romans 5:8 that "God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."  And in John 3:16, Jesus says "for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes on Him might not perish but have everlasting life."  That's life which begins here and now, and is also what He referred to in the 10th chapter of John as "life more abundant."  Once we accept God's great gift of salvation through His Son, He accepts us and we become His dear children (John 1:12). That should do something for the old self image.  Think of it--to be a son of the Most High God.  And this is where the road to real success begins.  (To find out more, write me at:inspirasucestips@aol.com with the word "life" in the subject.)

But it doesn't mean that our self image will then automatically be right or that non-Christians cannot have a decent self-image.  Other steps in developing a proper self image are as follows:

2) Understand the source of your self-image The image you have today exists because of the experiences of the past. The experiences of the past have not made you the way you are, but have made you believe you are the way you are and it is the believing that made you indeed the way you are.  (By 14 years old most of us have a well developed sense of inferiority.

3) Believe your self image can be changed.  You are not locked in.

4) Decide what kind of person you want to be and write it down.  Here are 3 ways to decide:
   a)Observe and emulate the characteristics of people
     you admire. Observe and avoid characteristics that
     are not attractive to you.
   b)Look at the virtues of great people of the past
     and make those characteristics part of your life.
   c)Study the life of Jesus.  How did He react in
      certain situations?  What was His attitude?

5)Write out a description of the kind of person you want to be in present positive statements.

6)Invest time with the person you want to be every day. (Read the description over and over again.)a

7)Be patient with yourself. (You did not become like you are overnight.)

By following these 7 steps we should begin to see a steady improvement in our self image.

Article written by James M. Becher, Bible teacher, author of "OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM, A Novel of Biblical Times," (http://www.publishedauthors.net/jamesmbecher/index.html), and publisher of  the bi-weekly Ezine, "Inspirational Success Tips" (mailto:inspirationalsuccesstips@Freeautobot.com)

Gothamist

The contraceptives lawsuits, explained Washington Post (blog) But the thing to know is this: Everything hinges on how courts interpret a law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA. Under that provision, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993, religious institutions can challenge federal ... Catholic Institutions Sue To Restore Religious FreedomInvestor's Business Daily Cardinal Dolan: White House Is Strangling Our Religious Freedom To Deny Women ...Gothamist Challenge to birth control mandateFox News The Associated Press -Wall Street Journal all 1,104 news articles »

Religious Space for Crowded Schools: Godsend or Trouble? New York Times By Fred Mogul While the city tries to exorcise the influence of religion from the public school system by evicting churches that rent school space for worship services, it's sending thousands of children to spaces rented from parochial institutions, ... and more »

Plain Dealer

'Other-ness': What Obama and Romney have in common on religion, race CNN "On the Democratic side, the liability of raising (Romney's) Mormonism and putting it under closer scrutiny means they will be accused of religious intolerance. If (Republicans) bring up Jeremiah Wright, they'll be accused of using the race card. Stained-glass ceiling: Study says religion can hurt Romney if Mormons don't ...Deseret News Will concerns about Mitt Romney's religion hurt him this time?Plain Dealer Mormonism hurt Mitt Romney in 2008. What about 2012?Washington Post (blog) Salt Lake Tribune -Examiner.com -Los Angeles Times all 257 news articles »

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Religion and the 2012 Presidential Race, Part I: Is Barack Obama a 'Born Again ... Huffington Post Forty years ago, college professors assured their students that our present moment in history would be "post-Christian" and probably "post-religious." It has not proven true. We live instead in an era of roiling religious sentiment and little reveals ... The Socialist's Journal: The Basis of GovernmentEurweb.com Texas Faith: Are we a nation of Osteens & Obamas? Is that the state of ...Dallas Morning News (subscription) (blog) Editorial: Obama only tweaks faith-funding rulesMinneapolis Star Tribune all 4 news articles »

Globe and Mail

Obama, Romney steer clear of race, religion, but will others? Salt Lake Tribune But last Thursday, it became — at least for a brief moment — about the always-touchy issues of race and religion. The nation's economic struggles will almost certainly dominate the debate in the next six months. The unemployment rate remains above 8 ... Poll: Is it fair to ask if Mitt Romney's experience as a vulture capitalist ...msnbc.com (blog) Mitt Romney's Swiss-Cheese Campaign Places Most of His Life Off LimitsDaily Beast all 2,838 news articles »

First Amendment column: Religion in schools can be constitutional Green Bay Press Gazette More than 30 years ago, the high court ruled that posting the Commandments in public schools is state promotion of religion in violation of the First Amendment's establishment clause (Stone v. Graham). While acknowledging that the Commandments contain ... and more »

AFP

Religion, gay row won't impact Pacquiao in ring Turkish Press Manny Pacquiao's devotion to religion and comments against gay marriage will not have an impact as a training distraction or in the ring as the Filipino icon prepares to fight unbeaten American Tim Bradley. That was the message from "Pac-Man" and ... Pacquiao says sole focus is BradleyThe Desert Sun Same-sex marriage comments won't impact Pacquiao in ring7DAYS all 123 news articles »

To The Religion Called Leftism, Power Is God Investor's Business Daily By DENNIS PRAGER Posted 06:04 PM ET You cannot understand the left if you do not understand that Leftism is a religion. It is not God-based (some left-wing Christians' and Jews' claims notwithstanding), but otherwise it has every characteristic of a ... Rational People Fear Big Government, Not Big BusinessFrontPage Magazine all 3 news articles »

Voice of America

Baha'is Mark Centenary of US Visit by Religious Leader Voice of America "For Baha'is, it marked the first time in religious human history, that a holy member of a prophet of God's family had come to Western shores," says Layli Miller-Muro, a member of the Baha'i leadership assembly in Washington. "Most religions begin in ...

Daily Caller

Scientists: Focus on religion Daily Caller (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) Two scientists have issued a challenge to their colleagues to focus more research on religion, according to ABC News. Religion plays such a large role in billions of people's' lives worldwide, so why not use science to help ... Science Should Study Religious BeliefFirst Things (blog) all 2 news articles »