I believe Satan has a love-hate relationship - with himself of course! He chooses to exist for himself rather than God and others because he is full of self-love and wants to have absolute independence and power. Self-love is very pleasurable and satisfying but it eventually leads to frustration and misery for the simple reason that no one can replace God adequately. Yet his lust for power is so strong that Satan is prepared to pay the price even though he must realise that to worship oneself is to live in a fool’s paradise!
Love for God, Love for our neighbours and self love are all dealt with in our Ten commandments. The wordings are very precise, and if we analyse them, we should have no ambiguity as to what we should do to exist and live peacefully.
Our first love shall be for God, and all our first and best fruits shall be dedicated to Him.
Our second love shall be to ourselves and our neighbours- in equal measure.
Jesus taught: "
"
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind [Deuteronomy 6:5];
and your neighbor as yourself [Leviticus 19:18]
Love for self does not necessarily mean hatred to others or vice versa. Your neighbours have to exist for you to exist. A tailor can exist only if there is someone who sells him cloth, needle, thread, as well as customers who will buy stitched clothes from him.
Similarly, a soldier can be a soldier only if he has an enemy to fight against
In reply to a question “who is your neighbour?”, Jesus gave a parable, commonly called “The Parable of the Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:30-37).
Here are some versions of the parable as Jesus might tell them today:
The Parable of the Good Muslim
A Jew was going from Jerusalem to the Gaza Strip when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A rabbi happened to be going down the same road but, when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Muslim came where the man was and, when he saw him, he took pity on him. He gave the man first aid, dressing his wounds and stopping the bleeding. As soon as he was able to travel he took him to a nearby hospital. “Look after him,” he told, “and when I return I will pay for any extra expense you may have.”
The Parable of the Good American
A Sunni Muslim was traveling from Damascus to Baghdad when he was attacked by thieves. They stole his wallet and his watch, beat him and went on their way, leaving him half dead. An Iman happened to be going down the same road but, when he saw the man, passed by on the other side. So too a Shi’a Muslim passed by on the other side of the road, ignoring him. But an American saw the man and took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds. Then he put the man on the backseat of his SUV and, ignoring the blood that stained his seats, took him to the nearest hospital. The next day he took out money to pay for his hospitalization. “Look after him,” he told the hospital staff, “and when I return I will pay for any extra expense you may have.”
The Parable of the Good Biker
A businessman was going from Manhattan Island to Newark when he when he was mugged. He was robbed, beaten severely and left in the gutter, half dead. A Baptist preacher happened to be going down the same road but, when he saw the man, passed by on the other side. So too a Muslim passed by on the other side of the road, ignoring him. But a huge tattooed biker saw the man and took pity on him. He made him comfortable and called an ambulance. He then followed it to the hospital. “Look after him,” he told the hospital staff, “and when I return I will pay for any extra expense you may have.”
