Psalms 31:1-4, 8:1, and Nothing But the Blood of Jesus (Robert Lowry, 1876)

The LORD, my Shepherd, met me in His green pastures and after foraging about He laid me down to feed in 2 Timothy 3.  The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in verses 1 and 5:

2Timothy 3:1 ¶ This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. …

2Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

When Paul looked through the telescope of prophecy at the future of this present world he didn’t see a euphoric, idyllic paradise; he saw “perilous times.” The next verse, “For men,”* sets us up to expect an explanation of what brings the world to this peril.

The behaviors that bring about the peril prophesied reads like a description of the social mores of our time, and it seems to me, flow from the head of the list: “Men shall be lovers of their own selves,” whereas each that follows flows from this head: covetous, boaster, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, and lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. I’m sure anyone reading this list will see that it all arises from the first and last items: lovers of one’s own self, and pleasures more than God.

Along the still waters, I thought about the seducing spirits that teach doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1-4), whispering into the ear the lie that we are to “love our own selves.” And what is yet more pernicious is that this false doctrine is devised from the notice that those verses which speak of the crucified life cast it in the past tense (Galatians 5:20-24; 6:14; Romans 6:6); indeed, it’s cast not so much as a past event as it is a present reality: the believer is crucified with Christ Who was crucified for us.

When a modern day wolf dons his sheep’s costume, and snarls through his salivating teeth the lie that God has called us to love our own selves, it is to capitalize on that tendency in us that is already true (Ephesians 5:29; Matthew 19:19), in order to draw Christ’s disciples away from loving GOD supremely. Jesus spoke of hating this life (Luke 14:26). These wolves seduce you into their den by the lie that you don’t love yourself enough. This doctrine instals into the Church the very sin that will bring us into the “perilous” times.

The only time Jesus speaks positively of self love is in the context of loving others with the same measure of love you instinctually have for yourself. Man is not broken because he loves himself too little; it’s because he loves himself too much.

These devils clothe themselves in “a form of godliness,” while “denying the power” of true godliness. If godliness is God-likeness, read Philippians 2:5-11 and see the “mind of Christ” that you have received (1 Corinthians 2:16). Those who have the “mind of Christ” are called to think as He does:

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Philippians 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Philippians 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

In the valley, kneeling in the shadow of His Cross, I remembered that no prophecy of destruction is given to weaken our resolve, but to warn us. I have found many examples of this in Scripture but one will suffice: Nebuchadnezzar was given a prophecy of his banishment from the throne God gave him, Daniel advised him how to act in view of that prophecy: “Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity” (Daniel 4:27). The king received his counsel and lengthened his tranquility for twelve months (Daniel 4:29).

To leap from the great truth that we are crucified with Christ into the great lie, that upon this we disregard the voice of our Chief Shepherd Who taught and modeled the “crucified life,” and turn to love of our “own selves” is heinous betrayal of our stewardship of Christ’s call: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup to overflowing. Goodness and mercy followed me as I followed His steps  (1 Peter 2:21) into His harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live sometime later this afternoon.

[*For is a preposition connecting what follows to what came before: the condition described in verse one arises from the behaviors listed in verses 2-5.]