When I buy a car, I also receive an owner’s manual that states very clearly what fuel should be put into the tank, what oil is suitable for the engine and how often it should be changed, and what fluids are used in the braking and cooling systems. I am given recommendations about how often and after how many kilometres I should have the car serviced. And the law of every country requires me to have the car inspected at specified times in order to identify existing defects and make my driving safer.
I personally am expected to keep the car clean and in good order, following all the instructions. Very often, one can tell at a glance how tidy the owner of a vehicle is. This is easily seen from the car’s appearance. And the better it is cared for, the higher its value and the greater the demand for that vehicle.
But if someone decides that it does not matter what kind of fuel is put in, or what kind of oil goes into the engine, as long as something is there, or decides to put nothing in at all, I think such an approach will cause the car to break down very quickly. Hardly anyone would entrust his car to such a person even temporarily. He would be considered unreasonable, and people would try to keep him away from their vehicles.
I think this example of a car is not devoid of common sense. But although a car is valuable, it is still an inanimate object that can remain motionless for a long time.
There was a time when horses, donkeys, and oxen were regarded as ordinary means of transportation. I think they also required special care in order to serve their owners. But unlike a car, they could make it known that what they were being fed did not suit them or was not to their liking. Their owners took the needs of those who served them into account. Even concerning these creatures, the Creator Himself gave instructions for their care and provided for their rest, speaking of it in one of His commandments.
But when we apply a similar attitude to a human being—or, better still, to ourselves—for some reason many people’s common sense ceases to work, and they suddenly believe that anything they can put into their mouths is good for them. I remember that, as a child, adults even taught me this because they wanted me to eat more of everything.
God gave me a body which He called the temple of the Holy Ghost and in which He Himself desires to dwell. As my Creator, He made my body so wise and perfect that, independently of me, it knows what it must do in any given situation, how to respond to particular factors, and how to fight various viruses, bacteria, and diseases. All this takes place without my participation. Even when I sleep, my body knows how to restore my strength and repair what is not working properly, without my advice or recommendations. And God entrusted such an exceedingly complex and amazing mechanism to my care! He expects me to exercise common sense in caring for my body and to observe the laws of health and nutrition, considering what I put into and fill my body with, and how often I should do so. My love for myself begins with what is on my plate.
Although in childhood I depended on my parents in matters of nutrition, at a certain time I began deciding for myself what to put into my ‘fuel tank.’ In this respect, my wisdom and love for myself are manifested.
But the Lord did not create me merely to eat. Within my body He united feelings, thoughts, character, will, reason, intellect, and instincts, and made all of them living and harmonious in their interweaving. He breathed into me His breath of life and gave me His Spirit for guidance from above. I was created for communion with the Creator within myself. He gave me His moral and physical law so that I could live happily within its boundaries. He granted me authority over my body and complete freedom to govern it. And I alone decide what I will do with all of this.
And what do I do? Love from God teaches me to love this temple of the soul, study its laws, and care properly for my body. It is love for myself that moves me to find the time and means to care for myself properly. If I have no love for myself, all my care for my temple of the Holy Ghost will turn into abuse of the body. Then it will begin to suffer illness and quickly fall into disrepair.
My plate for eating and my glass for drinking, the books in my hands, and the programs on my smartphone and television speak very clearly to the visible and invisible world about my love for myself. And if, in the sight of Heaven, I am unreasonable in my attitude toward myself and in my love for myself, who will entrust the bodies and souls of others to me?
But Satan came into our world as an uninvited guest and perverted and destroyed everything. He brought humanity to such a condition that every kind of abuse of oneself has become a way of life, while true love for oneself is ridiculed.
‘Be foolish like everyone else!’
‘Why do you need Eternity?’
‘You can be happy without God!’
These and other slogans and mottos pursue us everywhere, imposing their rules upon us. Under this influence, I begin to love my car more than myself. Where is reason? What foolishness!
The Bible gives me instructions about what I may and may not eat, what I may drink and what I should abstain from, and what I should read and watch. God expects me to obey these laws out of love for myself and for Him. I am required to exercise common sense in studying such ordinances. But there are those who begin teaching me the commandments of men, which nullify God’s commandments. And instead of obeying God, I choose the opinion of this world; instead of loving myself, I begin to love the world itself and the things that are in it.
There are also those who disguise their arguments more skilfully, finding biblical support for their sins and offering prayers to God for a blessing. But they all have one purpose: to destroy my love for myself and my body and, through my sin, to separate me from God.
What do I feed my body and my mind? Is it wholesome food approved by God?
For example, I know parents who, without knowing God’s will, care for the nutrition and upbringing of their children in accordance with God’s requirements and strictly ensure that these rules are observed, yet give no thought at all to themselves and ruin their bodies and souls with things they would never permit their children to have. I remember when my father brought home a bottle of vodka and, as he put it in the refrigerator, told me that I would die immediately if I drank the contents. I agreed, but at the same time I understood that it had not been purchased for a collection, but for other purposes.
‘Love is the fulfilling of the law.’ This is what is written, and this is how it is. Jesus gave me an example of obedience to the law while remaining happy and joyful. As I study His life, I see the beauty of God’s commandments, which were also given to me for happiness and health. And I understand that God establishes prohibitions for the sole purpose of preserving my life, protecting me from physical and spiritual suffering, and drawing me to Jesus and, through Him, to Himself. God loves me very much and desires that I also love myself and manifest this love by understanding and following His instructions concerning me.
Love is the source of life and happiness. It is an understanding of God’s will in its true light. Do I love myself?
Homework 119
Did you learn anything useful for yourself from this lesson? How can I learn God’s will for me amid such an abundance of information? Why does the Bible call my body the temple of the Holy Ghost? See 1 Corinthians 3:17. Does God expect me to care for my body? What does this care involve? What does it mean to defile the temple? Why will God destroy me for this, and how will He punish me? Can I love others without having love for myself? Can my love for myself be called agape love? Please read Psalm 139:13–14; 1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Leviticus 11:1–47; Exodus 20:1–17; 1 Corinthians 10:31; and Isaiah 59:2 in the light of our lesson.