I think we need to view it in the context of Jesus basic command upon which rests the foundation of our spiritual lives:
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:36-40
If anyone imagines that to obey these two commands is easy they are going to be surprised.
To love God above all often requires sacrifice of ones selfish desires.
To love others, to act in kindness and in support of others in practical kindness every day is a huge daily sacrifice of self will and self-indulgence.
For any of us simply to do this in our head, effort wasted on self, and simply thinking about ourselves without acting in good deeds to others, in kind words, helpful deeds…leaving less time to worry about ourselves, that is the self sacrifice God asks.
We theorize too much sometimes, overlooking the words of Jesus, our God and Savior. He says, what matters is to love God above all and others as ourselves, in which the implicit command is to love self, but in a healthy, unselfish, un-self-indulgent way, as a child whose life is a gift of God and should be lived with genuine, active charity to others…and that is where the cost is, because we are so easily selfish.
And why do we so often overlook also the clear words of Jesus on how He judges souls, what He expects of us.
What Jesus taught isn’t couched in complicated language or absorbed introspection.
He basically says.
You go to heaven if you lives in practical acts of kindness to others,
which He states is acts of kindness done to Him,
and you don’t go to heaven if you haven’t lived a life where you give practical help to the sick and needy, where you don’t show kindness to others in the thousands of little daily ways we can
He said all that in Matthew 25, verses 31-46.
Jesus wasn’t speaking lightly when He said,
“I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Then He put His arms around them, laid His hands on them and gave them His blessing.” [Mark 10:14-16]
- “The disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So He called a little child to him and set him in front of them. Then He said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’”* [Matthew 18:1-4]
We often feel it must be complicated to live a true Christian life.
It isn’t. Not is we listen to what our God and Savior actually says to us in His own words.
It is one of the rare times when Jesus was lyrical in joy, when He said:"
*“Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless You, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased You to do.” *[Matthew 11:25-26]
And we are that little child He speaks of when we take His actual words and His basic message into our hearts and lives. And that message is simply to Love God, love others. And that is where the sacrifice lies. In utter sincere living these things. The sacrifice is that we are self-centered and so it costs us, it costs our pride, our preference to please and indulge ourselves, our comfortable wish to immerse ourselves in our own interests. And that’s what 'hating self. means. Hating oneself in a way that doesn’t give love to others is simply self-destructive.
…(What you said, Timothy, but with more words)
