The Love of Self; click here to listen

Everyman plays a great image or one doesn't usually feel that way. Jesus speaks of narrow gauge boardrooms masculine journey is filled with many twists and turns. So how do we keep from losing heart while trying to find a way when life feels more like a losing battle and something worth dying for, grab your gear, request your band of brothers will serve as the guides we call masculine journey masculine journey starts here now. Welcome to the masculine journey. Today we have an interesting ride that we are to talk about something as a major subject. Remember, taken the masculine earning just the subject of love or don't talk about live on all sorts of different levels but speaking of love. Now it seems like we we needed a little different kind of self-love around here because we got the walking wounded.

The day and Vinnie on the phone because he's had a bronchial infection. Sam is on the mend is in the hospital actually could use your prayers. He had some fairly major surgery to his neck this week and now you you're even got a little stunt yourself and then Dennis comes up sick today.

I know you know where we need to rename it Band-Aid Band-Aid of brothers. Many welcome welcome, and probably impermeable it on the second floor from earlier will I know you are aware, wherein the self-love today so and now you got a bunch of words, man, you gotta get us the definitions are will you know when we talk about love.

We use one word and it just covers anything. I love my dog. I love spinach I love my wife. I love my car. I love myself what is that really mean when I want to find that now. So when in the Bible you know we we hear a lot about agape love. We've heard about Ophelia love in from Peter in this.

There's also the arrows love the sexual passion, but today were to talk about allow show the love of self. That's the great pronunciation and it's the definition is self-love and the clever Greeks realize that there were two types. One was the unhealthy variety associated with narcissism where you became self obsessed and focused on personal fame and fortune.

There's also at a happier enhanced version of for your capacity to love yes and so we dug into the Bible of all things, to find an example.

Say, say it ain't so. The Bible all my gosh, etc. radio, what would they say.

LOL we did. We pulled out our sword and we found this in second Timothy chapter 3, and in here. The Bible gives an example of this and want to play a clip that you probably very very familiar with the soundtrack I want you to think about it from this tickler type of self-love which is one of the ways that we can talk about it today and here it says in Paul is instructing young Timothy says but realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, red violators, disobedient to parents, ungrateful on the homely, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, I mean you can hear this is not of this is not a happy crowd so I'm in a play a clip that Micah said most of you probably very familiar with. It is from a Christmas Carol. The part of Scrooge but have you ever listen to Scrooge and and think about it. From this I want you to listen to him boasting because he boasts about some things about he has the other people don't have much to wonder if you can see his arrogance how he looks down on Bob Cratchit how he looks down on his nephew, but also interestingly, there's a big contrast in this movie right there really is because his nephew is full of grace and in is you listen to this and you hear the youngest year misery in his voice.

I think Robby and Internet misery. You hear the contrast in his nephew, who is full of that grace but there's something that reinforces that there something that reinforces grace always. That's love that sets the self-sacrificing right in the paradox of this big question that you can't help but ask yourself, wow if if Scrooge loves himself so much and this is the issue, what's the fruit of that love. How's he doing house at you and I was enjoying his life. I mean how's that working out for Scrooge. Well, listen to Scrooge and his prideful arrogance and all his glory here that's a Christmas town that actually does mean that I am sure that I duly met Mr. C may be miserable, you're rich enough that he still 16 is rich enough. Only be sent does not have any many cysts let's Christmas for the kind of finding his check is nothing many in that I could lick my nephew is about medication should be putting the state of honey for you Keith Christmas and Yolanda keep in mind that be good enough to need a Christmas Eve.

That's not business.

For the sake of an insult to all medical will you think about that from you. Can you send a great Christmas by using your position.

The speaker said when the product escape.

Don't be angry with my wife and me to so you haven't had enough problems, you got yourself married now and Named because I've had enough with the date and thing in the lives of more nauseating than any Christmas to see the happy man ate with them. 16 good afternoon my office dance will always welcome.

Uncle just like Christmas itself. Good afternoon, Mary Christmas and uncle Billy when you hear that it it it it sure seems like Scrooge just wants to be left alone.

What a sad place to be so true Rob.

The intro I thought you were talking about Mary but anyway it is very very. When you really don't have any friends that you think and you saw your friend friendship and love.

Some find it all to come lovers of very limited LOV you get for all letters but boy go splitting composting so much in a person's life from birth until the I have been there. Not that I'm not there yet but I'm working on really, you know you come your ball on naturally your close to your mom and then you grow up a little bit and you become push away from your mom and then you become self absolving you know and need a description of a teenager, but the then you going to manhood and you will listen, I know I didn't listen to anybody but until a certain person got me and that was the Lord that really was the Lord that got me really came into my heart and I really found out what the word love means is no questions no boundaries now. It's funny as you love is as you bring it up Jenny and it reminded me of when I was touching my toe into the water of Christianity. My wife wanted me to go to Sunday school. That was a Christian parenting class at the time I was sales manager in a car dealership. As you might imagine an I thought like you'd like you said at the beginning I thought I have a lot of friends.

A lot of people looked up to me and I you know I thought I had a pretty good position and I had influence to whatever extent, but when I got Christian parenting class. Also the people started acting like they cared about me and they want to buy car they had no reason there was no motivation for their sincerity, or for the fact that they really acted to be my friend and it made me like Scrooge. I was uncomfortable like what you try to get to what was it you want. It's hard to accept that kind of thing when you really are totally oblivious to it and so it's it's it's miraculous like you say when God kinda points about UL you when I is I was listening to Scrooge. I started thinking about that. I see this kind of loving kids will kids know, because really there more posers.

They want to be the superheroes and they want to be somebody big great and they realize they are having is just like we said early just a knee-jerk reaction but we start seeing teenagers that's really start noticing their muscles asked when they start noticing their beauty. They start noticing that there different changing. That's when it starts to come in and that's where I think you know when we talk about the biblically weird. We focus where we where we make that decision. That okay this is think about me here is good and right and I want to scar. I want to scar want to salsa need to make 350,000 a year.

Need to make this a need to make that now I need to buy this money to buy that I need to go there now is a known saying it in when it wears that where we as Christians find that line to say good night now that that Paul seem to know that as he wrote it so clearly and since he put in order.

Lovers of self, lovers of money, when you think about Scrooge it's like his description lover himself, lover of money, boastful, did you hear how he's boasting about how much he had an arrogant the way he I never noticed it in the clip until I started looking at it from the Scripture how arrogant he was. How you know the fact that he was not married was a good thing. What you talk it's kind like the rockstar mentality that the sports idle mentality where everything is about them, and they should be able to do what they want and and there's that line because I think those are the loneliest people. He said that the preshow that these people are truly the loneliest people on the face of the earth. Now you had to grab Vinnie. I found out my feelings with life in a number of years that lovers all on harder when we went got a lot more on the mass majority today.

Thank you so much for doing it in the Corsica mass country radio.org to find out what we have another event coming Huntersville on August 30 Tuesday night at 530 and turning this is so exciting Sam. We got amends not come up for mass concerning regular both August 9 and the 30th we do next with the Kernersville community house and look that up online for directions to the radio.org to get directions to be a night where we actually show post show was join the band of brothers and it August 9 and the 30th 730 to 900 and radio's list are supported and we are very thankful for every dollar but I wanted to take a moment to share a really easy way that you can support its use Amazon to purchase things you need to do is go to smile.amazon.com as their charity contribution site and from there slick good heart ministries or Amazon will donate 5% of your purchase to donate or watch a video on how to do this, go to mass country radio that's messenger the radio.org and I made my self-love today left the jury.

So there's an interesting story behind that George Harrison was experimenting with drugs and in one of his experimentations he realize how self obsessed. He was becoming. And that's where that whole concept that's where it really was a life changing for him that he said I need not be that person anymore.

I don't want to be that self focused person and I think the contrast of that was story by John Lennon not to disparage you know the dead, but it's been well known story that is someone of the bike and so he bought us on the bike and he is dad we teach me how to ride a bike and started screaming his son Jesus watching the bike will be right for you to go play go awry when you loan you know that's even in the. The gift didn't realize it was about the love the time it did. The child needs as we are getting ready for the show. Vinnie and and you would understand this your a lot better than either hour I will but I started when I thought about a self absorbed love. I don't know that there's a more classic example in Adolf Hitler and so I did some study in this week, actually about. You know how that happened and how this person was so self absorbed and he was so ruthless, so you know on a personal level, he would betray his best friends in a heartbeat if it would serve his purpose. He would take him out and shoot them not because he did anything wrong or disloyal, but because it served his purpose to the people to see that he was killing off Nazis that they considered to be better people and that was a great story backstage that there were people that were known to be ruthless and they were just carrying out his orders and then when the people hated those people that hated those killers.

Those not Nazis that Hitler killed them to make it look like his compassion for people when all they were doing was exactly what he had said to the letter. And yet he had no compassion or have any private so much that you want to shoot them laws like that. I think a lot of people didn't mind me go that way. Probably at least once or twice in their life know, I know it's happened me to thank the good Lord that the Lord save me from you know doing things like that okay love you know it's like I'm finding it hard put it together that you know you love yourself more than you love somebody else you know, like Al said he wanted this Connie want to… Well I found out in my lifetime I want all the things that Al said I don't hold that love me, that was just acquisition and showing all you know now being a blind I wish I had a 1939 that I could get into and drive my wife around you see what I'm trying to get out again thought of your life.

It one way and another time goes by becomes something else hopefully something else Scrooge. It did for Hitler. It certainly did not.

But you got another clip here how you want to set it up for this is from the movie first night the Sean Connery can one have a lot in you know he has the roundtable and there was a night that was amongst his roundtable. It did not want to be in a part of the roundtable where everybody was equal.

He wanted it to rise above it. So he goes and he left Camelot left the roundtable to start his own kingdom, and it was all about himself and his power in a sense familiar with the stats is very is you is it in this particular scene mall again that night that left returns, but he starts stirring up trouble to cause a war so he can win the battle, so to speak, to think I was once asked US Fish counsel free will. Each of us must follow my nose in my GQ – CMS is my sincere friendship. I sent was announced banning friendship with his sins on his father's death, Yolanda's name alone is not a day and forces to be given access to only a troops to assist in the enforcement of law and only one sign this assignment is ranch and she shows no very great. This business is too weak to stand alone. It's 1/2 inch lesson gives way to the great nation can be greater than Camelot land of justice in the hope of mankind, no hand on it together as friends. You offer me you will know me know I mean no harm to you know the law we live by. Where is it written beyond, long list of people. People too weak to protect themselves, let them die other people live by other little was off as all Camelot cerulean's laws and enslavement loans is free.

I hold to be right and good and true true for all mankind under God over just another fine was a totally new piece, especially to be found on the shrinkable to go on the phone about your money. I love the fact it. These clips contrast so well you've got that the self absorbed person that were talking about full self-love and you got the one who self-sacrificing that we were talking about the agape love it and I love the fact that when you put them together you see their true colors my Angela once said when somebody shows you their true self believable and good friend of mine Reginald Hawkins taught me that quote and it's so true, people are going to show you who they are. You just have to stop look and listen throughout the old saying, you may win the war, but lose the battle that is true, but every body you know what is right.

Today all of this part of your life. 30 support. It doesn't have to be the same as it gets on back and stay well. What made me think that way I know into what makes you think that way it does happen. I know what happened late. I am totally changed person because I listen listen to the Lord is an interesting thing that we were talking about today on the messenger next self-love and how that works out from the Greek standpoint, they looked at it two different ways and if you know as I think about it that the God was pretty clear. Jesus gave us instructions, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things are to be added to you.

But if you seek your own first. If you seek it out with those things that that Paul listed money and and and and and those kind of things, not that you don't need money in order to live or resources in order to do ministry how that works.

I mean it's all in their but there is clearly a guide to say wow what how does the kingdom look and even what King Arthur said there is this good in true for everybody involved in the situation or is it just good for me know the thing that strikes me about this is people the self-love. That's the only love they get the people that are full, self-sacrificing love the agape love it did. Jesus had for us on the cross as the ones that never signed him know that Scrooge got his own. You know, I don't know. They get any well let you know that we talk about that self-love that set of self obsession that was his focus right.

That's all he got all he got was money did not get the warmth, love the kindness and compassion because he's. It strangles everything else out of the room, but the redemption of that movie of what Dickens did you know you see the love that Scrooge ends up having for this woman he thought was a late whatever he made the arrogant remark that this you know, nostalgic, whatever female doing it in but now he's dying to play games with her in that if there's hope for all of us in in in in what we see happen was Scrooge's redemption. You know that's true for all of us. It's not over there people out there listening that if this feel at the end of the rope that you know they have fought for themselves so much so much if there all alone, but the difference is a you know we have the two commands love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. You know, because that's where you learn about love and then love your neighbor as yourself. That's where you see it played out.

That's how you in. That's been my greatest joy. It's never been in any kind of success that have got in the world.

It's always been success. Through the loved ones in my family, my friends, so much out. I stated in my life. I mean I had everything because everything money. The opening now I don't have my eyesight brought I have more love, my way right here where I live, you noted the hundred 45 people all probably in the same position as me not blind. I know that all in the love that comes out of them. I've got more love. Now the night at the had in my life except my children, you know I better say that because they and grandchildren Vinnie since the bag about how you can separate. We are so grateful that you are listening to us today on the messenger radio.org. We would see something like you to go to our website.

We got blogs there post you can email any of us would love any topic or something that you would love us to speak and even more than that, we would like to see in person is coming up August 30 is Tuesday night will start at 530, but you can come anytime later not a clock and we would love to see you join us at the Kernersville community center August.

Thank you for listening