Daily Devotionals: Self-Love

0:00September 6th, Self Love. You've heard the expression, you can't truly love others until you love yourself first. While there may be a tiny kernel of truth to this statement, it all comes down to how we interpret loving ourselves. And today's culture this often means embracing everything about ourselves, including the dark and unsavory aspects of who we are. It means accepting exactly what we see and claiming it as beautiful. But this love can actually lead us to very harmful places because this is selfish love. And selfish love is the quickest path to hating others. Today we'll meet James, a man who became entirely self-absorbed in his quest for self-love. It began subtly, growing up as a black man in the south, he learned to defend what he felt entitled to. But it soon grew to outright hatred and

1:05criminal activity. He's here to share with us his true story on this unshackled daily devotional. I did well in school but as a teenager I began stealing with friends and got drunk on white night. After graduation I went to live with my grandmother in New York. Race rides there opened my eyes to the changes blowing in the wind. I started college and got a job at a bank, still believing only in myself. My marriage was quickly undermined by drugs and unfaithfulness. Then I became a marketing executive and my drug use grew. I developed an intense hatred of white people, quit my job, and joined the black power movement. I abandoned my family to become a Jewelty. I was so blind to how far I had fallen. When I was arrested in New York I shifted my burglaries to Miami. Finally I was caught again and sentenced to three years in Florida and ten years in New York. In jail my prayer to God began as a complaint but I soon fell to my knees and asked His forgiveness. I spent the night

2:06praising Jesus filled with joy and peace. My years in prison were spent teaching other inmates and growing in my faith. My wife divorced me but Jesus never left my side. Because I was a model prisoner I was released at my first parole hearing. My name is James Manning. I went through college and seminary and now passed a church in Harlem where I try to reach other alienated young people with the truth that sets us free. The Apostle John says in 1 John chapter 3 verse 16, hereby perceive we the love of God because He laid down His life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Friend, learning to love ourselves in truth has nothing to do with us. It is actually trusting in the immense love that has been showered on us by our creator. Unconditionally, it is confidence in who God is transforming us to be, a replica of His image.

3:13This kind of love allows us to love others selflessly rather than selfishly. Will you receive this truth today? Unshackled, the longest running audio drama in history airs on over 3,000 radio stations worldwide, real people, real life stories and the hope that changes everything. This award-winning program grips the heart with compelling and relevant stories of transformed lives. Without Jesus Christ, we are all shackled by sin, but God is at work and the power of Christ sets us free of our bondage. Listen to a new devotional every day and don't forget to tell your friends about unshackled daily devotional.