Chapter 1
More on Guilt & Shame
Hopefully, now you are beginning to see that Jesus
understands your awful predicament and has
provided the solution.
In my experience, people who often feel guilty are
people who sincerely want to live a "good" life.
They are usually very demanding of themselves, but
often fall short of their goals for themselves. Then
they judge themselves for not being "good enough."
As the Apostle Paul wrote:
This is their story, and they hate themselves for not
being able to do better.
Yet Jesus said to love yourself, which is the
opposite of "hate yourself."
Obviously, when you are hating yourself, you are not
loving yourself. No wonder the promised life of
freedom and rest escapes you!
At this moment you may be really feeling guilty,
because you are falling short - again!
But there is a way out. There is a way to truly love
yourself.
The short answer to your problem is that you can not
make yourself love yourself rather than to hate
yourself. Your will power is absolutely ineffective in
making this change occur.
I also want you to understand that once you begin to
actually love yourself on a daily basis, your guilt
feelings will be gone. Love and hate can not coexist.
First, I would like to show you why your will power is
completely incapable of setting you free from your
wretched place (as Paul calls it).
Second, I want to show you that judging yourself
plants a root of bitterness inside you. The root of
bitterness is a spiritual thing, and only a spiritual
antidote can remove it.
Jesus has the only antidote. As a Christian, it
belongs to you; but you need to learn how to apply it.
Copyright 2003 Edward Kurath
More on Guilt & Shame
Hopefully, now you are beginning to see that Jesus
understands your awful predicament and has
provided the solution.
In my experience, people who often feel guilty are
people who sincerely want to live a "good" life.
They are usually very demanding of themselves, but
often fall short of their goals for themselves. Then
they judge themselves for not being "good enough."
As the Apostle Paul wrote:
- For what I am doing, I do not understand. For
what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I
hate, that I do (Romans 7:15, NKJV).
This is their story, and they hate themselves for not
being able to do better.
Yet Jesus said to love yourself, which is the
opposite of "hate yourself."
- And the second is like it: "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39, NKJV).
Obviously, when you are hating yourself, you are not
loving yourself. No wonder the promised life of
freedom and rest escapes you!
At this moment you may be really feeling guilty,
because you are falling short - again!
But there is a way out. There is a way to truly love
yourself.
The short answer to your problem is that you can not
make yourself love yourself rather than to hate
yourself. Your will power is absolutely ineffective in
making this change occur.
I also want you to understand that once you begin to
actually love yourself on a daily basis, your guilt
feelings will be gone. Love and hate can not coexist.
First, I would like to show you why your will power is
completely incapable of setting you free from your
wretched place (as Paul calls it).
Second, I want to show you that judging yourself
plants a root of bitterness inside you. The root of
bitterness is a spiritual thing, and only a spiritual
antidote can remove it.
Jesus has the only antidote. As a Christian, it
belongs to you; but you need to learn how to apply it.
Copyright 2003 Edward Kurath
set yourself free with your own will power. |
Divinely Designed
Being changed into the image of Jesus
Being changed into the image of Jesus
