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Hi Everyone! You have all been so helpful and I have learned so much about what everyone believes in the time that I have spent on here. I have a question...
I know that God says that you are supposed to love him above all others. I also know of this passage -
If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
How do you make sense of this? What does all this mean to you?
In my way - I could understand loving God above all. However, just as I would never make my mom choose between loving me or loving my father - I can also not understand God saying that you should love him and not your own child. Some people seem to have a hierarchy of love that they closely adhere to. In my own personal experience, I don't have an order to how much I love each person in my life - I don't need to. I feel like I have an infinite amount of love to dole out. I love my husband so much. When we got our dog Cookie - I fell head over heels in love with her - we both did. Now, our love kind of revolves around her. And I love my husband even more since we got our little Cookie. Seeing them together makes me love them each more and more. And now that we are having a baby - I'm sure I'm going to experience this times a million! I couldn't put an order to how much I love each person (or dog) and I could never choose between them - and I know I won't have to. I guess, in my limited human understanding, I would think that - if God exists - he would never make us choose between him and someone here that we love. But I know that not everyone feels that way.
I'm not judging anyone - there are no wrong answers. I'm just curious as to how everyone interprets this and what everyone believes.
Dewdrop93, the word hate used here is also defined as "love-less" or "esteem-less."
Clarke's Commentary on the Bible:
And hate not - Matthew, Matthew 10:37, expresses the true meaning of this word, when he says, He who loveth his father and mother More than me. In Matthew 6:24, he uses the word hate in the same sense. When we read, Romans 9:13, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated, the meaning is simply, I have loved Jacob - the Israelites, more than Esau - the Edomites; and that this is no arbitrary interpretation of the word hate, but one agreeable to the Hebrew idiom, appears from what is said on Genesis 29:30, Genesis 29:31, where Leah's being hated is explained by Rachel's being loved more than Leah. See also Deuteronomy 21:15-17; and Bishop Pearce on this place. See also the notes on Matthew 10:37 (note).
Dewdrop93, the word hate used here is also defined as "love-less" or "esteem-less."
Clarke's Commentary on the Bible:
And hate not - Matthew, Matthew 10:37, expresses the true meaning of this word, when he says, He who loveth his father and mother More than me. In Matthew 6:24, he uses the word hate in the same sense. When we read, Romans 9:13, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated, the meaning is simply, I have loved Jacob - the Israelites, more than Esau - the Edomites; and that this is no arbitrary interpretation of the word hate, but one agreeable to the Hebrew idiom, appears from what is said on Genesis 29:30, Genesis 29:31, where Leah's being hated is explained by Rachel's being loved more than Leah. See also Deuteronomy 21:15-17; and Bishop Pearce on this place. See also the notes on Matthew 10:37 (note).
If forced to chose between God, your husband or yourself, which would you chose?
Well, I don't really believe in God. But I honestly can't imagine a situation where I would have to choose. My husband knows that in my life as it stands right now, he comes first - but he would never make me choose between him and my career or him and my mom, etc. I can't imagine any of the people in my life every making me choose between them and anyone. I certainly wouldn't make anyone choose.
And I guess it would also depend on the situation. If a gun was being held to my head and I had to choose whether my husband or I live or die - right now I would choose myself to live because I'm pregnant. After I have the baby - I would choose my husband to live because he could support our child in a way that I can't.
But in terms of loving - I can't define or order my love. And I couldn't choose between anyone - and I don't think I'll ever have to.
Why would God ever want you to stop loving someone or choose him over someone else?
I guess at the core of this - I have always had my own self intersest at heart. Not in a selfish way, I hope - but I surround myself with people who make me a better person. I've never been attracted to the "bad boy" type or by friends that use me.
Well, I don't really believe in God. But I honestly can't imagine a situation where I would have to choose. My husband knows that in my life as it stands right now, he comes first - but he would never make me choose between him and my career or him and my mom, etc. I can't imagine any of the people in my life every making me choose between them and anyone. I certainly wouldn't make anyone choose.
And I guess it would also depend on the situation. If a gun was being held to my head and I had to choose whether my husband or I live or die - right now I would choose myself to live because I'm pregnant. After I have the baby - I would choose my husband to live because he could support our child in a way that I can't.
But in terms of loving - I can't define or order my love. And I couldn't choose between anyone - and I don't think I'll ever have to.
Why would God ever want you to stop loving someone or choose him over someone else?
I guess at the core of this - I have always had my own self intersest at heart. Not in a selfish way, I hope - but I surround myself with people who make me a better person. I've never been attracted to the "bad boy" type or by friends that use me.
If you truly don't believe in God, then why did you ask the original question? What does it matter to you?
But, if you really DO believe in God, the answer to your question is found right here:
"I guess at the core of this - I have always had my own self intersest at heart."
You don't understand the love of God because you still love youself most of all.
Well, I don't really believe in God. But I honestly can't imagine a situation where I would have to choose. My husband knows that in my life as it stands right now, he comes first - but he would never make me choose between him and my career or him and my mom, etc. I can't imagine any of the people in my life every making me choose between them and anyone. I certainly wouldn't make anyone choose.
And I guess it would also depend on the situation. If a gun was being held to my head and I had to choose whether my husband or I live or die - right now I would choose myself to live because I'm pregnant. After I have the baby - I would choose my husband to live because he could support our child in a way that I can't.
But in terms of loving - I can't define or order my love. And I couldn't choose between anyone - and I don't think I'll ever have to.
Why would God ever want you to stop loving someone or choose him over someone else?
I guess at the core of this - I have always had my own self intersest at heart. Not in a selfish way, I hope - but I surround myself with people who make me a better person. I've never been attracted to the "bad boy" type or by friends that use me.
God doesn't want us to stop loving others, but God wants to be #1 in our lives because He is our creator. He is worthy of being #1. If my husband told me that he would divorce me if I continued being a Christian, I would put God first and let my husband divorce me. This is just an example. People risk their lives to spread the gospel and some die as martyrs. They do this because they love God more than their own lives. Of course God does not ask every person to do this, but if God did ask, He expects you to follow Him...even if that means death, but we have the hope that death is not the end. I hope this makes sense.
Congrats on your pregnancy. How exciting! My husband and I are going to start trying in a few months
If you truly don't believe in God, then why did you ask the original question? What does it matter to you?
But, if you really DO believe in God, the answer to your question is found right here:
"I guess at the core of this - I have always had my own self intersest at heart."
You don't understand the love of God because you still love youself most of all.
It doesn't matter to me in that it's going to change my life - but knowing the answer would perhaps better help me to understand others.
I wouldn't say that I love myself most of all - just that I have my own self interest at heart in terms of who I surround myself with. I have so many friends that get involved in relationships with people that degrade them or use them. I've never been that way. My point was that the people in my life are good, positive people. I think we should all have our best interests at heart when it comes to decisions like these. If not - you could be putting your life in danger and the life of your children.
I spent a lot of time hating myself when I was younger. I wasn't very nice to my body and had very low self esteem. If there is one thing that I have learned - it's that I have to love myself in order for me to be a better wife, daughter, hopefully mother, etc. I think we all have to love ourselves and take care of ourselves otherwise I don't think we can really love or take care of anyone else.
So, like I said, I would never say I love myself most of all. I don't think I can put a measure on the love I feel for anyone.
But why would God want us to love him more than anyone else? Why would he want us to choose him over our own children?
If there is a God - and he created me and gave me this wonderful life - of course I would love him. But would I abandon my children or my husband for him? Why would he want me to?
If you truly don't believe in God, then why did you ask the original question? What does it matter to you?
But, if you really DO believe in God, the answer to your question is found right here:
"I guess at the core of this - I have always had my own self intersest at heart."
You don't understand the love of God because you still love youself most of all.
Way to show Christ's love, stillkit. That's what your heart got out of her post? I thought it was very touching and full of love.
Dewdrop, you are one of my favorite people on this forum. You are polite, kind, respectful and show love to others. You may not believe in God, but IMO, you know God (Love), you just don't know His name!
1 John 4:7 "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."
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