In the Last Days, Perilous Times Will Come [A Study of 2nd Timothy 3:1-5]Minta

Day 2 - Men Will Be Lovers of Themselves

The first and foremost thing Paul stated here is that men will tend to love themselves individually and primarily, without loving others. But let me ask: “Is it wrong to love yourself?” Didn’t even Jesus quote Leviticus 19:18, saying that “Love your neighbor as yourself” is the second greatest commandment in God’s kingdom (see Matthew 22:39)? If you can’t love yourself well, how can you love your neighbor? God wasn’t wrong. He knew very well what He inspired Paul to write.

Here is the mystery. When a person loves himself alone, it’s wrong. That love turns from a God kind of love, which has an inflow from God and an outflow to oneself and others, into a self-love that is pure selfishness.

How do selfish people behave? Aren’t they so self-centered in their actions that they don’t factor the needs of others into their decisions? That is the kind of world we live in today. Many people don’t care about the negative impact of their bad choices and actions on current or future generations. That's very unfortunate. But it’s happening. And I pray for you, dear reader, that God will root out every selfish thing in your heart, whether you’ve have realized it's there or not.