Does self come first? Last? Somewhere in the middle? Who decides?
Self will.
Self love.
Self contempt.
Self righteous.
Self defense.
Self abuse.
Self-admiration.
Self-confidence.
Self-conscience.
Self-sufficient.
Self-preservation.
Self-esteem.
Self-defense.
Selfish.
Me. Me. Me.
Seems quite natural to put self first. Logical really....
But like everything Jesus said and did, He turned all of it around and put self last. And He didn't just issue the order....He didn't just command it, He did it. What might be logical in a human mind matters very little when God is involved. He acts outside of human wisdom.
He pulled off His deity and put on human flesh. He was First. And He put Himself last.
Last..... After my needs, and yours.
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Jesus has an uncanny way of cutting right to the heart of a matter. The Jews had six hundred thirteen laws recorded in the Old Testament. Jesus summed it all up.....
AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:28-31)
Neighbor is next.
Following Jesus does not mean being a doormat. It doesn't mean that we become unimportant or of little value. In fact, it means we are of great value !
Following Jesus means HE is first. No need looking any further until we get a grasp of that truth.
