Ultimately I have to decide who I love the most. Right away that leads me to these two problems. First, I have to continue making the decision over and over again; in most cases on a decision by decision basis. Second, I have an inclination to love myself, over and above all others, which completely skews the decision making process.
Jesus comes in and does not dismiss my inclination to love self. Doesn’t he basically ask me to prioritize my love for myself?
The first thing he says I need to do is love God with everything. I need to love God fiercely. Only when my love for God is that strong can I break the tendency to make selfish decisions.
The second thing he says I need to do is to love others the way I love myself. So does this mean I have permission to love myself and think about myself and make decisions for myself? The expectation is that I will have the freedom (and the desire) to love others and think about others and make decisions that will benefit others.
Nice sounding theory. What about the application? How does the theory intersect and change my behavior?
