How can I love God whe I don't have the ability to even love myself or anyone else?

Fantastic question. Very good!

I believe that it is impossible for anyone, including myself, to truly love anything but destruction. But by watching, praying, and studying the bible I see not only my need of salvation daily but that God is loving me daily and I am learning How to love by letting Him love me first. This way, I have a personal example to learn from rather than just a book or two.

The bible teaches death to self. Not suicide, but allowing our decisions to be monitored and corrected one at a time by God's law and forgiveness. When Jesus Christ was crucified, He didn't die at once, it took time. The same is true for you and me. This is a process of purification that is completely voluntary, and it takes time.

I hope this helps with some of your other questions posted as well. God Bless You!!

Proverbs 14:10 - Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.

Love is not the same as "understanding" other people or entities. You need to value yourself.

You can do this by crucifying the passions and desires, which means "of an inward state, an affliction, passion" and turning about periods of passion or rage that are maddening like wine.

So it just means dispassionate about things that don't matter. That will help to keep you from being drawn into other people's complaints.

You need to have self-control and remain prayerful constantly.

You will experience blessings like this:

1 Peter 3:10-12

"Whoever would love life and see good days must keep from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

By not loving yourself, in essence, you are telling Him that HE is no good and made junk when He made you. Do you really believe that He is bad? Of course not! Your low self-esteem is putting Him down. So, if you will tell yourself, 'God is a good God because my heart tells me so, His word says so, and He MUST be', it will help you to say to yourself that you are NOT junk...you ARE worthy to love. You will see that in a sense, you are ONE with God and His love and your love are ONE. I think of it like the night and day...how the dark is to the light and the light is to the dark...grant it, each are separate, however, they complement one another...each bringing something compelling to the other. In the darkest of dark or the brightest of illumination, each on their own is profound and can be overwhelming even, but together they meet and it is a special reminder of the other. Without darkness, how would you know to appreciate what light is...the stars and moon in the skies? Without light, how would you know to appreciate the quiet and the stillness of the dark recalling the beauty of the sun and how it lights your way? Just remember, you are special and unique all your own...no one in the world can offer the things that ONLY you can offer, but without the remembrance of the Mighty Hands from whence you came, you are nothing. Having said that, recall FIRST, HIS great love for you and soon after you will remember how it is that you have actually deep within your heart ALWAYS loved Him. This, my friend, IS loving yourself.

Dear searching one :

Like the smell of fresh baked bread or a new car smell is the wonderful aroma or gentle presence of the holy spirit

Treat him kindly, follow the trail, search him out then knock at the door (pray ) He will come into your room and heart and give you peace in your spirit, and then your soul, then your body in time (His Time )

His peace is actually Love and then u will have the miraculous power to love y'self and others , animals and the environment

The Bible is the instruction manual especially the new covenant which started after Jesus died , so read and learn from that first , It takes most people 3 days to read Acts Romans Ephesians Thessalonians and the rest of Paul's (the chief apostles ) letters to various cities in the Mediterranean area

Be Blessed

Jon

see my profile for some sites to visit--they really helped me !

Just speaking personally, though I do have "attachment disorder" which means love is hard for me, also.

I find loving God an easier first step in that God could deal with my stuff better than anyone else, including me. For instance, I've had a horrible time forgiving myself for things I did even as a child (which come back in vivid memories). Yet my answers that seemed truly of God were never so much "Dan, you jerk" as "here's what I am, come on in". Not easy to explain, I guess, except that God is able to ride out a lot of stuff.

i am a practical person so i look for something in scripture that i can do.

how can someone expect a garden to produce something when they might not have put any seed in it?

you cant know how to love others until you accept that God loves you... and observe how God loves mankind... how Jesus loved others.

...

then apply romans 5:5 and 1 corinthians 13:4-8 to yourself.

...

when you plant these in your heart... and keep the seeds well watered

eventually you'll see spouts begin to come up ... and grow to a wonderful bloom with full fruition.

...

Love and trust go hand and hand.

A lot of people cant love because they dont

trust.

A lot of folks are raised in a non-trusting

environment and they will never understand

love when it hits them.

On a spiritual level with god, he loves us all,

this is where his mercy is applied, he forgives us of our tresspasses, this is real love.

To love god is to merely try to sin less,

by trying to follow his laws or 10 commandments to show him that you take

caution of what is evil to him.

Just trying is good enough for god.

He knows we are not strong.

Praying to Jesus is showing that you believe

he exist, and by praying is the first step

in creating a true friend in Christ and a

good step in learning love.

He will never do you wrong and a bond

of trust will be established and then love

will follow.

God is love, to know god is knowing love.

Don't do anything that you will regret later. If you like to read a book I suggest Sit, Walk. Stand by Watchman Nee. It has inspired me very well. A person like you is looking for answers. I know this because you ask a lot of questions. This book may help you. It will teach you on what you need to do.

Jesus forgives you of everything that you have ever done. Sometimes it is harder for us to forgive ourselves. You just need to forget about things and know that God loves you, and not worry about what you have done. Pray to God to help you to get over this. I've heard it from a few people, and its no way to live your life. Good things will come, and Jesus will give you peace

Once you begin to grasp the deep love of Jesus for you, you will begin to grow in your ability to love God and others. You don't need to focus on loving yourself. That will take care of itself. Spend time with God by prayerfully reading the Bible, especially the gospels of Luke and John.