Good morning, family. I greet you all in the name of Jesus Christ.
Today, we begin another series of digging deeper into the Word of God called "*In the Last Days.*"
Our main verse for the entire series comes from 2 Timothy 3:1-9, but for part one of this series, we will focus on verses 1 and 2.
2 Timothy 3:1-2 (NKJV) says: "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy."
Family, the first indication of these last days is that they will be dangerous—days of great stress, hard to deal with, and difficult to bear.
One may ask, "Why will these days be hard?"
The first reason the Bible gives is that people will be lovers of themselves.
But why is this bad? To answer this question, let us first understand what it means to be "lovers of themselves."
"*Lovers of themselves*" means being selfish and caring only about yourself, with little or no love for others or God.
For example:
A simple illustration of being a "lover of oneself" is when someone has extra food but refuses to share it with a hungry person, even though they don’t need it all. Instead of thinking about others, they focus only on their own.
Here are more examples of loving yourself behavior:
1. Refusing to Share: Keeping all your snacks for yourself, even when your friend is hungry.
2. Ignoring Someone in Need.
3. Taking Credit: Claiming credit for a group project, even though others worked hard to contribute.
4. Gossiping to Feel Superior: Talking badly about others to make yourself seem better.
5. Skipping Responsibility: Leaving your mess for others to clean because you don’t feel like doing it.
Why is this bad according to the Bible?
Being a "lover of oneself" is bad because it leads to selfishness, pride, and neglecting God’s commandments to love Him and others.
The Bible teaches that true love focuses on serving and caring for others, not just ourselves.
In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus says the two greatest commandments are:
1. To love God with all your heart.
2. To love your neighbor as yourself.
When people only love themselves, they often ignore these commands, leading to behaviors like greed, arrogance, and a lack of compassion.
Then What causes a person to be a lover of themselves?
A person may become a "lover of themselves" for several reasons, such as:
1. Pride: Thinking they are better or more important than others.
2. Fear or Insecurity: Focusing on themselves to protect or validate their worth.
3. Materialism: Valuing possessions, success, or appearance over relationships and spiritual growth.
4. Influence of Society: Modern culture often promotes self-centeredness with messages like "put yourself first" or "you deserve everything."
5. Lack of Love or Guidance: Growing up without experiencing genuine love or being taught values like humility and compassion.
But the main root cause is forgetting or rejecting God. When people turn away from God’s guidance, they rely on themselves, seeking satisfaction in their own desires rather than in serving God and others (Romans 1:21-25).
Family, being a lover of oneself is listed among the traits that turn people away from God, emphasizing how it disrupts relationships and spiritual growth.
If God has spoken to you through this message, pray that He helps your heart not to become a lover of yourself. May God increase your love for Him and for others in Jesus' name. Amen.
Today, we begin another series of digging deeper into the Word of God called "*In the Last Days.*"
Our main verse for the entire series comes from 2 Timothy 3:1-9, but for part one of this series, we will focus on verses 1 and 2.
2 Timothy 3:1-2 (NKJV) says: "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy."
Family, the first indication of these last days is that they will be dangerous—days of great stress, hard to deal with, and difficult to bear.
One may ask, "Why will these days be hard?"
The first reason the Bible gives is that people will be lovers of themselves.
But why is this bad? To answer this question, let us first understand what it means to be "lovers of themselves."
"*Lovers of themselves*" means being selfish and caring only about yourself, with little or no love for others or God.
For example:
A simple illustration of being a "lover of oneself" is when someone has extra food but refuses to share it with a hungry person, even though they don’t need it all. Instead of thinking about others, they focus only on their own.
Here are more examples of loving yourself behavior:
1. Refusing to Share: Keeping all your snacks for yourself, even when your friend is hungry.
2. Ignoring Someone in Need.
3. Taking Credit: Claiming credit for a group project, even though others worked hard to contribute.
4. Gossiping to Feel Superior: Talking badly about others to make yourself seem better.
5. Skipping Responsibility: Leaving your mess for others to clean because you don’t feel like doing it.
Why is this bad according to the Bible?
Being a "lover of oneself" is bad because it leads to selfishness, pride, and neglecting God’s commandments to love Him and others.
The Bible teaches that true love focuses on serving and caring for others, not just ourselves.
In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus says the two greatest commandments are:
1. To love God with all your heart.
2. To love your neighbor as yourself.
When people only love themselves, they often ignore these commands, leading to behaviors like greed, arrogance, and a lack of compassion.
Then What causes a person to be a lover of themselves?
A person may become a "lover of themselves" for several reasons, such as:
1. Pride: Thinking they are better or more important than others.
2. Fear or Insecurity: Focusing on themselves to protect or validate their worth.
3. Materialism: Valuing possessions, success, or appearance over relationships and spiritual growth.
4. Influence of Society: Modern culture often promotes self-centeredness with messages like "put yourself first" or "you deserve everything."
5. Lack of Love or Guidance: Growing up without experiencing genuine love or being taught values like humility and compassion.
But the main root cause is forgetting or rejecting God. When people turn away from God’s guidance, they rely on themselves, seeking satisfaction in their own desires rather than in serving God and others (Romans 1:21-25).
Family, being a lover of oneself is listed among the traits that turn people away from God, emphasizing how it disrupts relationships and spiritual growth.
If God has spoken to you through this message, pray that He helps your heart not to become a lover of yourself. May God increase your love for Him and for others in Jesus' name. Amen.
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