ANATOMICAL SPIRITUALITY - THE BENEFICIARY

Anatomical Spirituality is a comprehensive convex concept. Which is to say that it appears to be widespread and all-encompassing like a convex mirror, but in truth it is singularly targeted at one area.

Loving God is at the very foundation of Faith.

You cannot have Faith without loving God, nor can you love God without having Faith. The two are inseparable.

The first and greatest instructions given to people who say they love God was…” Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind”

This is the comprehensive part as it encompasses your emotions, spiritual life, intellectual pursuits, and physical actions.

Love isn’t just a feeling! It’s a commitment, expressed through actions.

Why is this even a requirement? Glad you asked.

Because if we love God as we should, then we will be able to love others as we should. Which is the second great instruction. Love, your neighbor, as yourself.

Let me help you with that a little. You see if you can’t love God with your all, then you can’t love others with your all…and neither will you truly be able to love yourself with my all. You are the focal point.

You will be the greatest beneficiary of your Anatomical Spirituality.

Self-Love is the most needed love and yet the toughest love to offer yourself. Can you honestly say that you love yourself more than God loves you? God has forgiven you for everything that you have ever done, have you? I mean everything!

God is not requiring that we love Him, but he does want us to love ourselves as He does. That’s the real blessing here.

This was not a recommendation because of what God would gain, but rather because of what we would gain. Self-Love.

Self-love is about appreciating one’s own whole being. It involves accepting yourself with all your flaws and warts.

Often, we cannot tolerate God or others because we cannot tolerate or pardon ourselves. Many of the grudges we hold against others are because of the ones that we hold against ourselves.

Self-love is the basis for self-esteem, self-confidence, and a fulfilling life with great relationships. We love others as we want to feel loved.

If you love yourself, then you love the God who made you. If you love the God who made you, you’d love all the others that He made who are also in His image. Every human being was made in the image of God!

That’s called the “Imago Dei”. God only created humans in his image. We are made like God Substantively, Relationally, and Functionally.

Substantively means we have his characteristics. Like rationality, morality, spirituality, and we even some similar physical attributes. In essence we have some of his inherent basic traits.

Relationally we are like God in that we have a capacity for love, fellowship, and community. Humans were not made to be alone.

Functionally refers to what we do rather than who we are. We work, we care, we plan, we give thought to the things we do. As does God.

God wants us to love ourselves, Him, and others with our entire being.

The only way to do this is by committing ourselves to prayer, study, and obeying His Word.

It requires real work, intentionality, and a daily commitment.

As we begin doing the work, we will receive inner strength, great peace, and a real connection to our purpose.

Ultimately, loving God with your whole self is about loving oneself fully. In this way we get transformed from the inside out.

We cannot help others until we have helped ourselves.

God is not just worthy of some of us; he is worthy of all of us!

This is a Thompson Truth