In Matthew 22:36–40, it is written:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Loving yourself is therefore a good thing, supported by God, and it is also the measure of how we should love others.
Many people think that:
loving yourself is a weakness,
loving yourself is pride or boasting,
loving yourself means keeping everything for yourself or coveting what belongs to others,
loving yourself means wanting to be above others…
BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE.
1.LOVING YOURSELF IS RECOGNIZING WHAT GOD SAW IN YOU BEFORE YOU EVEN EXISTED
What does this mean?
1.God did not create you without purpose
Before your birth, God already had a thought about you.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…” (Jeremiah 1:5)
This means that:
you were known by God,
you had value even before you were born,
you had a destiny.
You are not the result of chance.
2.God saw your value before anyone else
People may:
reject you,
despise you,
discourage you
But God saw something good in you before you even existed.
“I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:14)
God never created you wrongly.
What you consider a weakness… does not define who you are.
Loving yourself is therefore recognizing your value.
The first step to loving yourself is accepting that you have value in God’s eyes, even if you don’t feel it yourself.
Example:
You may fail an exam, lose a job, be rejected by someone, or even lose a court case while being right…
But that does not reduce your value.
Many people confuse what they go through with who they are.
But God does not define you by your circumstances.
3.You are a thought of God that became reality
“God created man in His own image…” (Genesis 1:27)
“For we are His workmanship…” (Ephesians 2:10)
Just as an architect designs a house before building it,
God thought of you before creating you.
This means that:
you are created in God’s image spiritually,
you have exceptional value,
you carry a dignity that comes from God Himself.
Your value does not depend on:
what people say about you,
your past,
your mistakes,
or even your achievements.
Your value comes from God.
So why would you reject yourself when God has chosen you?
Loving yourself is accepting this divine plan.
Refusing to accept yourself is like saying:
“God made a mistake about me.”
But loving yourself is saying:
“Even if I don’t understand everything, God did not make a mistake in creating me.”
In summary, what did God see in you?
He saw:
value,
life,
a destiny,
something good worthy of existing.
Loving yourself is saying:
“I cannot reject myself, because God has never rejected me.”
2.LOVING YOURSELF IS PROTECTING YOURSELF
What does this mean?
If you love yourself, you must protect the value God has given you, your life, and your dignity.
1. Loving yourself is taking care of your body
“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
This means that:
your body does not belong only to you,
it carries the Holy Spirit,
it has value,
you must respect and protect it.
Loving yourself therefore involves:
taking care of your body,
preserving it,
not destroying it.
This includes:
avoiding excess (fats, salt, sugar),
avoiding alcohol and drugs,
maintaining hygiene,
exercising.
Even though the Bible does not directly say “exercise” or “wash your body regularly,”
it clearly teaches principles of caring for the body.
Just as a temple is maintained, you must take care of your body.
Loving yourself is saying:
“I have value in God’s eyes; I will no longer destroy myself.”
2. Loving yourself is protecting your heart
“Guard your heart above all else…” (Proverbs 4:23)
The heart is the source of life: thoughts, emotions, and behavior.
If your heart is healthy, your life will be healthy.
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts…” (Matthew 15:19)
Sin begins in the heart, not outside.
How do we protect our heart?
a) Fill your heart with the Word of God
“I have hidden Your word in my heart…” (Psalm 119:11)
b) Turn away from evil
“Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33)
c) Pray and entrust your burdens to God
“The peace of God will guard your hearts…” (Philippians 4:7)
The heart is the first target of the enemy:
in thoughts, desires, and emotions.
Protecting your heart is not optional—it is necessary.
Loving yourself also means refusing anything that hurts your heart:
contempt,
humiliation,
mistreatment.
3. LOVING YOURSELF IS RECEIVING GOD’S GRACE
“It is by grace that you have been saved…”
Many people live in guilt and self-rejection.
But God forgives… and when He forgives, He fully accepts.
“It is by grace that you have been saved…” (Ephesians 2:8)
This means:
you are not saved by your efforts,
but by the grace of God.
Your value does not depend on your works.
The problem for many:
They live imprisoned by their past mistakes.
But God’s truth says:
“If we confess our sins… He forgives us” (1 John 1:9)
When God forgives:
He no longer condemns,
He no longer accuses,
He welcomes you as His child.
Refusing to forgive yourself is living as if grace does not exist.
It is like staying locked in a prison whose door is open.
Grace teaches us a new life (Titus 2:11–12):
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”
Loving yourself is:
accepting forgiveness,
seeing yourself as God sees you,
stopping self-condemnation.
“There is therefore now no condemnation…” (Romans 8:1)
4.LOVING YOURSELF ENABLES YOU TO LOVE OTHERS
“Love your neighbor as yourself”
The way you love yourself determines how you love others.
If you do not love yourself:
you constantly seek approval,
you become emotionally fragile,
you accept what is unacceptable,
you may become jealous or hurtful.
But when you learn to love yourself:
you love without losing yourself,
you give without destroying yourself,
you set boundaries without guilt,
you love sincerely.
True love
1 Corinthians 13:1–3: without love, everything is useless.
1 Corinthians 13:4–7:
Love is patient, kind, without jealousy, without pride,
it forgives, hopes, and endures all things.
If you love yourself:
you learn patience,
you do good to others,
you refuse jealousy,
you act with dignity,
you also seek the good of others.
Today, choose to see yourself differently:
not according to your wounds,
but according to God’s perspective.
PRAYER:
Lord, teach me to love myself as You love me.
Heal the way I see myself.
Remove the burden of self-rejection.
Give me a healthy love, so that I may love others in truth, without fear, without dependence, and without destroying myself.
Amen.
Apostle Dr. Jean-Claude SINDAYIGAYA