What does love your neighbor as yourself mean to you?

[Churchmouse]

21 minutes ago, Heavenunlimited said:

I was jehowas witness for three years. Just seeking, no family thank God. Jesus came to me, as I was full of fear of leaving God. He came, He held His arms out and took deepseated pain and the fear. He filled me  up, held me. The fear never came back. I was changed to the core. Before that I had prayed for God to show me the truth. He did.

I thank God that another refugee of a cult made it out and made it whole. My Mom is still in there and will probably die there. I will go to her funeral to honor the mother she was and be sad for her loss. I've not spoken to her for a while and we have not eat together under the same roof for at least 40 year, give or take, but I love her. I miss her and I wish her well.

I praise God that he came to you and out of love pulled you free of your pain and fear. We truly owe him everything including our joy.

[Churchmouse]

1 hour ago, Giller said:

Mar 12:29-31
(29)  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
(30)  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
(31)  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
 

I personally think that first you must love God with all you have, but also allowing that love to flow over to others, to were you care for self and others.

Now loving thyself in this case does not refer to selfishly loving self, to were all your wants are met, but rather to were your needs are met, to were your caring about your well being, while also caring about the well being of others.

Here is a good scripture.

1Co 6:19-20
(19)  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
(20)  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
 

 

I thank you for this but Isn't selfish love the same thing as pride.

[Prophet of change Lou L]

So encouraged by all these post you all are wonderful and His Spirit is very discernible. As any who are familiar with me you know my tech challenges. I would love to be able to put scripture here but cut and paste is way over my head. So will just reference maybe some would later want to post. 1 John 2:5-11. John talks of the old commandment and the new the old telling us to love God love our neighbor.The old is good but only is able to control our outward self this is good of course principle living is great. Once Jesus comes into our heart the Holy Spirit takes the law to another level. JESUS didn't change the old HE absorb it He drank the cup. Jesus contrast the old and the new in the sermon on the mount,when HE says the law says but i say even to the place of cutting hands of and plucking eyes out. The question becomes is He serious? Or is He wanting us to see are utter need of Him and His Cross. Also when we see Paul's struggle in Romans 7 He says he loves the law but it cant free him of the new Spirit that now resides in him that is in the processes of nudging him to the cross thank God for Romans 8 well i could go on hope i haven't got to (tech.) theirs that tech word again.           

[Heavenunlimited]

1 minute ago, Churchmouse said:

I thank God that another refugee of a cult made it out and made it whole. My Mom is still in there and will probably die there. I will go to her funeral to honor the mother she was and be sad for her loss. I've not spoken to her for a while and we have not eat together under the same roof for at least 40 year, give or take, but I love her. I miss her and I wish her well.

I praise God that he came to you and out of love pulled you free of your pain and fear. We truly owe him everything including our joy.

Im so sorry,brother!  Oh what a terrible thing that cult. It doesnt make it better that there are so many good people trapped, believing it. (But, seen opposite too).  It might be The Lord will come for her too. Its the different bible that really messes it up. If only they had a look in the real one, then..  I had no clue, all I knew was the bible stories, so I was an easy target. All alone in a new country with no friends, and seeking. Typical. It was their coldness and legalism that made me think and the lack of love. I could count few, that werent that way. So i asked God.. And I was presented with plenty of material. One can say yes but it is there, of course, online. No, it was all there, and following one after another truth upon truth. Too perfect to just ..happen.  There was no doubt about it I couldnt live with that the gov body puts themself on Gods place.  The fear of being lost forever if you leave, as they are the only real godly ones so they say(not) is very real. Its amazing,He saved me.  

Waw what a loss. So much suffering. And the not question because then youre negative! Or, dont say anything about anything. They couldnt box me.  And the dress code!  

[Heavenunlimited]

6 minutes ago, Churchmouse said:

I thank you for this but Isn't selfish love the same thing as pride.

Isnt it more about.. Healthy respect and treatment for your self, and others too rather than the steretype self love? 

[Heavenunlimited]

So, real love is respect yourself and love others more..than your self? Can it ever be 50-50? 

[Churchmouse]

2 minutes ago, Heavenunlimited said:

Im so sorry,brother!  Oh what a terrible thing that cult. It doesnt make it better that there are so many good people trapped, believing it. (But, seen opposite too).  It might be The Lord will come for her too. Its the different bible that really messes it up. If only they had a look in the real one, then..  I had no clue, all I knew was the bible stories, so I was an easy target. All alone in a new country with no friends, and seeking. Typical. It was their coldness and legalism that made me think and the lack of love. I could count few, that werent that way. So i asked God.. And I was presented with plenty of material. One can say yes but it is there, of course, online. No, it was all there, and following one after another truth upon truth. Too perfect to just ..happen.  There was no doubt about it I couldnt live with that the gov body puts themself on Gods place.  The fear of being lost forever if you leave, as they are the only real godly ones so they say(not) is very real. Its amazing,He saved me.  

Waw what a loss. So much suffering. And the not question because then youre negative! Or, dont say anything about anything. They couldnt box me.  And the dress code!  

People who are drowning in this world will reach out for the first thing they think will comfort them. I think we all have experienced that, but I think those who seek more than comfort are not satisfied only with having it. I will not speak ill of my mother, but if this is true in her case, I wish her the best. I will pray for her, as she has not been on my mind in a while. I was raised in a dysfunctional family without love. It was made clear to me that the joining was more to stave off loneliness than of love. We were more a group of people who lived in the same house than a family, so I had to seek recognition elsewhere. I tried drugs, alcohol, porn and nothing worked. I found my way to detox, which is really I think the first time God touched me.

Anyone who has been an alcoholic knows that the brain becomes pickled in the constant flood of alcohol and it takes a good long while for it to clear itself. It took me about two months of sobriety in that place before that happened and when it did it was the same wonderful, exhilarating feeling I had when God took over my burdens when I finally gave my life over to him. I think God was searching for me for all the times I was abusing myself with that poison and when the barrier of alcoholic haze was destroyed the connection with him was restored and that is what I felt.  I didn't understand that and I've always marveled at the two incidences, but I am certain now.

[Omegaman 3.0]

24 minutes ago, Giller said:

33 minutes ago, Churchmouse said:

I thank you for this but Isn't selfish love the same thing as pride.

Yes absolutely.

I think you can self love without pride. Love is wanting and seeking the best for the one loved. It is not about granting wishes and making people feel good, it is about seeking what is best for them. When I as a father, disciplined my children it was not about making them feel good, or granting them their heart's desires, it was about helping them to be better people.

The best way I can love myself, the way I can love myself the most, is to seek what is truly the best for me. What is best for me, best for anyone, is being in the closest relationship with God that one can have, and seeking to do His will.

If I love you, I will tell you what I know about God, and help you to improve your relationship with Him, and teaching you to do his will. Our highest calling, is to love the Lord. The best way to live that, is to obey Him. What did Jesus say?

Go and make disciples, teaching them to obey everything I commanded you.

So, if I love myself, I obey God, since that is what is best for me. That is selfish, but it is not prideful. In fact, to love yourself in that way, you have to suspend your pride, putting yourself below others. The highest form of self love, is to love God above everything else, anything less, is idolatry.

[Churchmouse]

23 minutes ago, Heavenunlimited said:

Isnt it more about.. Healthy respect and treatment for your self, and others too rather than the steretype self love? 

If you mean Pride, I would say it is neglecting yourself for a mental imagery that could very well cause you to neglect many important issues a person has within themselves.

[Heavenunlimited]

12 minutes ago, Churchmouse said:

People who are drowning in this world will reach out for the first thing they think will comfort them. I think we all have experienced that, but I think those who seek more than comfort are not satisfied only with having it. I will not speak ill of my mother, but if this is true in her case, I wish her the best. I will pray for her, as she has not been on my mind in a while. I was raised in a dysfunctional family without love. It was made clear to me that the joining was more to stave off loneliness than of love. We were more a group of people who lived in the same house than a family, so I had to seek recognition elsewhere. I tried drugs, alcohol, porn and nothing worked. I found my way to detox, which is really I think the first time God touched me.

Anyone who has been an alcoholic knows that the brain becomes pickled in the constant flood of alcohol and it takes a good long while for it to clear itself. It took me about two months of sobriety in that place before that happened and when it did it was the same wonderful, exhilarating feeling I had when God took over my burdens when I finally gave my life over to him. I think God was searching for me for all the times I was abusing myself with that poison and when the barrier of alcoholic haze was destroyed the connection with him was restored and that is what I felt.  I didn't understand that and I've always marveled at the two incidences, but I am certain now.

Im so happy you found Him! Praise The Lord.  Ive grown up with no love or not much myself. A family of narcissists/psychopathic traits. The Lord said they never loved me enough, but that HE loves me. He said it.  Thats the holes only The lord could fill. It really felt like filling.  Ive been given understanding that they are not well. Strangely enough I didnt took it out on myself or anyone. Mightve been because in the end I recived help from the authorites.  It is very easy for many to turn it on themselves. Im happy for you.