This morning in my quiet time, I was led to Jesus' words in John 12:25: "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal." Hating your life means you are aware, by Holy Spirit revelation of course, that "in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing" (Romans 7:18). When a Christian becomes aware of this, it is a turning point from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness - "not I but Christ" (Galatians 2:20).
Then I went to the Fitness Club, and while I was doing my workout Joel Osteen was on TV. His words struck me: "it is not important what others think about you; what is important is that you love yourself." I do not know how he reconciles his "theology" of "love yourself" with Jesus words to "deny yourself" and to "hate your life". But I do suspect these are words you will not hear from him. Perhaps some of you will say that Joel is speaking of the new divine nature. To you, let me say this:
Until the cross has come in our lives to slay our self-life, we cannot partake of the divine nature. Do we love our divine nature? Well you will find no such admonition in the Bible. But Jesus did say that the most important commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all you mind" (Matthew 22:37). But in his chapter on "Learning to Like Yourself" in Become a Better You, Joel Osteen skips that verse and emphasizes instead verse 39 that we are to "love your neighbor as yourself," although he adds the word "love": "as you LOVE yourself."
I think "deny" and "hate" yourself are two words you will never hear from Joel Osteen. Again, I remind you that it is not what Joel Osteen says that makes him a false teacher. It is what he is not saying. When you get lost in your love of Jesus, you will forget all about yourself.
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