Elisabeth Elliot: In order to love our enemy, the last thing you and I need to do is to build up our own self-image. We don?t ever need to learn to love ourselves. We?re already pretty good at it.

Lisa Barry: Now there?s something you don?t hear every day. Leave it to Elisabeth Elliot to call a spade a spade. Isn?t that what we all enjoy so much about her? All this week she?s been asking the question, "Whatever happened to obedience?" It seems our society has come up with all kinds of ways to avoid responsibility for everything. After all, it?s not our fault that we?re angry with people because of our parents. It?s not the murderer?s fault that he killed someone, because children made fun of him as a youngster. The list goes on and on. Is the problem a lack of love for ourselves? Elisabeth Elliot believes that the lack is in obedience to God. Let?s find out more as we begin this Thursday edition of Gateway to Joy.

Elisabeth Elliot: "You are loved with an everlasting love." That?s what the Bible says. "And underneath are the everlasting arms." This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot, talking with you again today about "Whatever Happened to Obedience?"

Well, on Monday I told you about a certain book that had come out in Britain, talking about the therapeutic society. Sentimental sloth prevails from kindergartens to cathedrals. The book is called FAKING IT: THE SENTIMENTALIZATION OF MODERN SOCIETY.

One of the things that I think is indicative of how sentimental and soupy we?ve gotten is this whole idea of loving ourselves. Someone has written this dialog. Let?s suppose this is a dialog between a person and his or her Christian counselor taking place.

The counselor says, "How may I help you?" The "patient," shall we say?"Well, I?m not really sure. I don?t think I know how to love myself. I have a really poor self-image, you know?" Counselor: "Can you tell me why?" Patient: "I think it comes from my past. I?ve always been lonely and neglected, used, condemned, lied to and cheated on." Counselor: "And you feel you should not have been treated this way. Correct?" "Yes."

"Let?s look at that list. Instead of that treatment, what should you have had?" "Well, you know. Love. Kindness, at least." "Do you feel that somebody should have loved you?" "Sure. Didn?t Jesus say we?re supposed to love our neighbor." "Yes, as ourselves, which means love your neighbor as if he were you. Was your neighbor treating you as if he were you?" "No. People always treated me like I was their worst enemy. A little kindness once in a while would have helped."

"How did you feel about the treatment you were getting?" "Awful." "Did you think you deserved it?" "No." "Why not?" "Because I?m not a bad person." "You?re a good person, are you?" "Basically, yes. But I?m not perfect. None of us are." "Your neighbor is pretty bad, but he is not all bad, is he?" "I guess not, but he is still my enemy." "Why?" "Because of the way he treats me." "You don?t deserve that treatment, because in your own eyes you are basically a good person. Would that be it?" "Yes."

"Let?s try to think about what we are in God?s eyes," says the counselor. "He tells us that there is no one good; no, not one. As soon as we start claiming our own goodness, it?s a dead giveaway that our self-image is not so bad after all. In fact, we?re pretty convinced we?re better than that neighbor of ours. When we protest that we deserve better treatment than we got, our self-love is showing. Let?s never forget that our Lord Jesus was lonely, neglected, used, condemned, lied to, cheated on and finally nailed to a cross. He is the One who tells us that we must not only put up with bad treatment, just as He did, but we must actually love our enemy. In order to do that, the last thing you and I need is to build up our own self-image."

In order to love our enemy, the last thing you and I need to do is to build up our own self-image. We don?t ever need to learn to love ourselves. We?re already pretty good at it. The great lesson for all of us is learning to love as Christ loved?while we were still sinners. That?s what?s called self-abandonment.

In 1 John 4:20, we read, "If anyone says, ?I love God,? yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." Pretty sobering, isn?t it, to realize that if you hate someone and say that you love God, you are a liar. That?s what the Bible says.

Just recently I heard a wonderful little story. There was a woman named Louise and she was driving down the highway. She began to feel very strange, so she thought what she had better do was to pull over. So she pulled over to the side and she was sitting there, holding her head in her hands, when a woman appeared and said to her, "Are you okay?" The other woman, with tears, said, "No, I?m not. I?m not sure what?s wrong." The other woman, who must have been anointed by the Lord to say this, said to this woman who was driving, "What you need is Jesus." Because of those five simple words, Louise?s life was transformed. Her marriage was transformed.

Now she might have gone to a counselor, who might have encouraged her to feel good about herself. I suppose that many of us, if we had met someone in a situation like that, would have started very delicately and perhaps in a gingerly way, wondering, "Well, how can I help you and can you tell me something about what?s wrong?" or "Could I steer you to a counselor?" I don?t think I myself would have said anything quite so blunt and immediate as "What you need is Jesus."

But you know, it?s quite possible that somebody is listening to me today and that is exactly the message you need. Louise never went to a counselor, who might have encouraged her to feel good about herself. But she went to that fountain filled with blood. I don?t suppose Louise knew that great old hymn, but that?s one of the great hymns of the faith. "There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel?s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains."

I was reading an article just yesterday about the success rate of psychiatric counseling. It?s not very encouraging. A tremendous amount of money and time is spent, and very seldom does it reap the kind of benefits that the person has paid for. How about trusting Jesus?

He says, "Come to Me, you who are tired and overburdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Someone sent me this poem. I guess it?s a hymn. I don?t know what the tune is. "They call me old-fashioned, because I believe that the Bible is God?s Holy Word; that Jesus, who lived among men long ago, is divine and the Christ of God. Well, my sins were old-fashioned, my guilt was old-fashioned, and God?s love was old-fashioned, I know. And the way I was saved was the old-fashioned way?through the blood that makes whiter than snow.

Old-fashioned, because I believe and accept only what has been spoken from heaven. Old-fashioned, because at the cross I was saved; at the cross had my sins all forgiven. Old-fashioned, because I am bound to do right, to walk in the straight narrow way, because I have given my whole life to God. Old-fashioned, because I pray.

Old-fashioned, because I am looking above to Jesus, my glorified Lord, because I believe He is coming soon, fulfilling His sweet Holy Word. Old-fashioned, because I have joy in my Lord and I?ve got the shouts every day; with hands raised to heaven, my praises are given. Let?s all praise our Lord in this way.

O glory to Jesus! He satisfies me. He satisfies me all the day. And when I get home, then no longer I?ll roam. Praise You, Jesus! Praise the Lord! Amen."

By this time you know that you are listening to someone who is extremely old-fashioned. I?ve been out-of-date all my life. I?m just so thankful for the privilege of offering to you who are listening to me today the old-fashioned way of obedience.

You remember that beautiful hymn, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." That was written by a man who had been a slave driver. He had made money by capturing slaves in Africa. He said, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.

?Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.

When we?ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we?ve no more days to sing His praise than we?ve first begun."

Will you come to Him? Are you one of those who is saying, "What I need is Jesus"? He?ll be there for you. He loves you. He died for you. Don?t forget that.

Lisa Barry: That?s an important thought to ponder as we bring today?s program to a close. Society has an appealing smorgasbord of options to soothe our damaged egos, but I?d challenge you today to say no to those quick-fixes and say yes to the permanent solution?obedience to Christ.

Elisabeth has written a book that will help you get a better grasp on this issue. It?s called THE LIBERTY OF OBEDIENCE. This isn?t one of those books you flip through in an evening. It?s one you ponder and mull over as you compare it with Scripture. You?ll be glad you purchased it. The cost is $5.

Here?s the address to write to: Gateway to Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68501. Or call toll-free: 1-800-759-4JOY. If you?re connected to the Internet, you have a third way you can contact us, and that is gatewaytojoy.org. Today?s program has been a production of Back to the Bible and is supported by the gifts of people like you.

Tomorrow Elisabeth finishes up this series with a challenge to build character through obedience. That?s next time on Gateway to Joy.