Happy Passover!

Today is Passover. Pete and I celebrated it last night. I was impressed, because Pete didn't protest to me throwing out all his leavened bread (about three slices). The other day I was walking home, and God said, "Buy bread." I forgot that Passover was coming up, so I said, "Well I don't feel like I need bread, but I'll buy two loaves." Then last night I realised I had to get rid of all the bread for Passover and said, "Stupid me! Now I have to throw out two loaves of bread!" Then I remembered that I had only bought them because God had said to. So I ran downstairs and gave them to my neighbour, and old lady, who happened to have just run out of bread and didn't know what to do for food over Easter. Praise God!
After Passover, Pete and I watched the Passion of the Christ.

I found out yesterday afternoon that I was going to AGMF so I probably won't be able to blog for the next three or four days, but I'll make up for it when I get back tell you all about my new experience. I've never been to AGMF before. I'm not really interested in the music, but I'm hoping it'll be like a certain camp I go to every year where I get to make a thousand new friends every day and then see them every year. I don't really know what I'm getting myself into.

I haven't explained much of what I'm talking about, because I'm supposed to be packed and out the door, but leave a comment and I'll fill you in.

Happy Passover, and enjoy the next seven days of Unleavened Bread!

Let's Have A Picnic!

An ice-cream truck patrolled our street today, very loudly playing the tune of the Teddy Bears' Picnic. I wanted to run out and buy an ice-cream right then and catch up on some of my deprived childhood. No, don't worry, I chased lots of ice-cream vans growing up, but I haven't seen one for so long! Maybe the world is becoming too safe to let its children run out on the street anymore, or maybe I'm just living in the wrong area now. What do you think?

I soon realised that I couldn't remember all the words to the Teddy Bears' Picnic. So I Googled it and came up with an adorable presentation:

http://12121.hostinguk.com/teddybears.htm

There were only a few words that I needed help remembering from when I used to listen to my record, There's A Hippo In My Tub by Anne Murray which I was brought up on from a good young age.

History lesson: A record is like a giant black CD, which is read by actually making contact with a needle (sounds crude, I know).

Now you know how I know all the good parts of the lyrics to You Are My Sunshine.

Love Yourself As Your Enemy

I've realised that up until a little while ago, I've had a very warped view of love.

Somehow, without realising it, I have learned to love my enemies more than my friends. What I mean by this, is that the more I am mistreated, the more kindness I'll show in return, and if I am shown kindness I shy away, and if I am treated too kindly, I'll even bite back as if to say, "How dare you! I'll teach you!" and sometimes I've been really nasty. I don't think that's love at all.

The whole time I didn't really have a chance to analyse this. I would just stay away from people who loved me, and hang out with my enemies 24/7, so the whole time I thought I was full of love. I thought this was the way to go, because:

"Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick." - Luke 5:31 (Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17)

But do I really love?

"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."" - Galatians 5:14 (Leviticus 19:18, Leviticus 19:34, Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, James 2:8)

If I were to love my neighbour the way I love myself, he would be starving and I wouldn't feed him. Instead, I would accuse him of being indulgent. He would be tired and I wouldn't let him sleep. Instead, I would accuse him of being lazy. Everytime he made a mistake I would tell him he was an idiot and curse and swear at him. I would constantly bring up everything he ever did wrong and never forgive him for it. Everytime he did a good job, I would accuse him of having a big head about it. Every basic need he had I would ignore and give something else higher priority.

No wonder I seemed to love my enemies more than I loved my friends! No such limit as love for self was was put on love for my enemies. Jesus said,

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you," Matthew 5:43-48 (Luke 6:27,35)

But is my behaviour what Jesus wants?

41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'
44 "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'
45 "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
46 "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." - Matthew 25:41-46

So obviously, I have to learn to love myself. I was made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), and to mistreat myself the way I used to do is an abomination.

How can I claim to love anyone if don't love myself? How can I do to others as I would have them do to me (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31) if I don't know how to treat myself?

I suppose it's sort of the same principle as:

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? - 1 John 4:20

Or, this is a stretch, I know, but you could also apply the next two principles to this wild idea of loving yourself to understand how to love others.

"Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also." - Matthew 23:26

"Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." - Matthew 7:5

I know that's not really what those last two verses are about.

What if you wanted to get married? How hypocritical to ask someone to love you if you don't do so yourself! How could you claim to love them?

"So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself." - Ephesians 5:28

Well, I hope this is not missunderstood and I have not caused someone who has no trouble looking out for number one to justify finding himself listed in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

"For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy," - 2 Timothy 3:2