June 16th. Day 16 of walking through “Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily” — Part 1 of “A Gospel Primer for Christians” by Milton Vincent.

Today’s reason — Liberation from Self-Love.

Vincent has quite a bit to say about this reason, likely because self-love is one of the biggest struggles in our world today. Honestly, mini “Christian authors“ celebrate a rather narcissistic, anti-gospel approach to loving ourselves. There is such a difference in believing we are “enough“ by puffing ourselves up with self-love and knowing we are not enough and humbling ourselves to be lifted up by God’s great love for us — one elevates self while diminishing Christ’s work on the cross and the other lifts Christ up knowing we must die to self in order to be lifted up in Christ.

But enough of my thoughts, here’s what the author says...

“Compared to greater endeavors, self-love is mundane and tiresome. Consequently, the more thoroughly I can be done with such tedium, the freer my soul will be to soar at its God-intended heights.”

Honestly, I feel like we could end there, but Vincent goes on and more powerfully explains this reason to rehearse the gospel daily with these words wrapped tightly in the supporting evidence of God’s Word:

“One of the leading causes of my natural tendency to self-love is fear. I fear that if I do not love myself there would be no one left to love me quite so well as I do. An even more significant cause of self-love is a lack of persuasion that there is someone out there who is worthy to be loved more than I. Arrogance lies underneath both of these causes: I love myself supremely because I am the most worthy person I know to be loved and also because I think I can do a better job at it than anyone else. Such arrogance makes me dangerous, {2 Timothy 3:1-2} yet it is deeply ingrained in my sinful flesh.”

He goes on to say...

“Thankfully, the gospel frees me from the shackles of self-love by addressing both of these causes. First, the gospel assures me that the love of God is infinitely superior to any love that I could ever gift to myself. ‘greater love has no one than this,’ says Jesus while speaking of His love. {John 15:13} And the deeper I go into the gospel, the more I experience the truth of His claim and thereby know how far His love for me surpasses even my own. {Romans 8:32} His astonishing love for me renders self-absorption moot and frees me up to move on to causes and interests far greater than myself.“ {2 Corinthians 5:14-15}

Vincent further explains today’s reason this way...

“Second, the gospel reveals to me the breathtaking glory and loveliness of God, {2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 Timothy 1:11} and in so doing, it lures my heart away from love of self and leaves me enthralled by Him instead. The more I behold God’s glory in the gospel, the more lovely He appears to me. And the more lovely He appears, the more self fades into the background like a former love interest who can no longer compete for my affections.”

The author concludes with this...

“Preaching the gospel to myself every day reminds me of God’s astounding love for me and also of His infinite worthiness to be loved by me above all else. These reminders deliver a one-two punch to my innate self-absorption and leave me increasingly absorbed with Christ {Philippians 3:7-8} and with God’s ultimate plan to gather together all heavenly and earthly things in Him.” {Ephesians 1:9-10, 1 Corinthians 5:28}

I couldn’t agree more with this reason to rehearse the gospel daily. Not that I have “arrived,” but I have watched my self-absorption fade as I become more and more absorbed by the life changing truths of His Word — truths that woo my heart and win my affection as I daily spend time with Him by spending time in His Word daily.