“The Jesus Creed life participates in a cycle. It begins with God’s perfect love in the communion of the Father, Son and Spirit; it explodes into the creation of you and me as eikons; it comes to fruition in proper self-love; it manifests itself in love for those who love others who love God; and the cycle begins all over again. Family love participates in this cycle.” (p 61)
“He who loves his wife loves himself.”
Ephesians 5:28
“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”
Song of Songs 6:3
Facing the Day: A Jesus Creed day begins when you start it off by loving your family as yourself.
Today take time – make time – to sit down and turn to Psalm 139 and “ponder your way through it, asking God to reveal what true self-love is.” (p 57)
You can turn to Psalm 139 in your bible or in 40 Days Living the Jesus Creed (p 57) and begin to read it slowly. Pause often and let the words settle into you, all the time remembering that God loves you.
Does it surprise you that “Jesus taught that the standard for our love of others is our self-love“? (p 53)
It does me a lot of days. Those days when I find so much about myself I do not love. What should I do those days?
McKnight suggests we love ourselves because we are eikons of God, we forgive ourselves and we love ourselves by doing to “others as you would have them do to you.” (pp 54 – 56)
Does that seem like a good plan to you?
“In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 7:12
“The second [commandment] is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Mark 12:31
Facing the Day: You are wonderfully made. Love yourself as someone God made to love and be loved.
Think back over these first two weeks of readings and scriptures. What stands out to you? Is it a portion of scripture? Is it an illustration McKnight has shared? Is it a sentence or two from the book? Thinking about what stands out to you, ask yourself why that captures your attention. Don’t rush but take some time to consider that.
In many ways there is nothing new in what McKnight is writing about but as I read him, I find a freshness and passion in what he writes. How about you?
Feel free to share your responses and comments here. I look forward to hearing from you.
Charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}
“Jesus urges us to love God and to love others and many days we may wonder if we can manage the task. Some days we know we are not up to the challenge, and we know that if God’s love is to flow from us it must be a special work of God in us to pass God’s love on. Instead of looking to ourselves or even at our own weaknesses, however, we are to look to the good word of God to empower us to remain faithful in the path God has walked for us – the path of loving God and loving others, and the path of the Jesus Creed.” (p 50)
I can’t get out of my mind the phrase, “… the path God has walked for us …” (p 50)
I am not sure I have a “handle” on it, but it certainly captures my attention and somehow reassures me.
What does that mean to you?
“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”
Exodus 34:6-7
He brought [Abraham] outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:5-6
Facing this day: God’s promised love is as good as God’s faithfulness
“Face Jesus, for in that face we find the face of God’s mercy, and the experience of God’s mercy moves us out of the shadows of our own selves into the open light of loving God and loving others.” (p 46)
Which way are you facing?