Around this time of year we celebrate Valentine’s Day and people’s thoughts often turn to love.
But I want to talk to you about one kind of love that doesn’t come up very often, and that is loving yourself.
I don’t mean that you should have an inflated ego. But most of the time I don’t see people with overly inflated egos, loving themselves too much. Instead I see people, even Christians, who are struggling with their self-worth, not believing that they are valuable and precious to God.
Matthew 22:39 NIV says, Love your neighbor as yourself. But how can you love your neighbor until you have completed the process of loving yourself?
Too many of us are suffering from a low self-esteem when we don’t have to. If satan is trying to put low self-esteem on you, don’t accept the package! The Bible says, If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (II Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).
You can begin to love yourself when you realize that God has made you a brand new creation, and He has created you in His own image. You are a reflection of Him!
Not only that, but you are worth the price that Jesus paid for you on the Cross. God sent His only Son as a ransom for you, and that makes you very valuable. You are God’s prize, His treasure. He paid no higher price for anything than He paid for you.
If you’ve struggled with self-esteem, it’s time to stop believing the lie that you’re inferior or worthless. As the body of Christ, we’ve learned to refute the lie that we have to be sick or that we have to be poor. So let’s refute the lie that we are worthless. You are so valuable to God that He sent His Son to buy you back from the hands of the enemy!