Between 2nd and 3rd

i was doing my quiet time this morning. Read this section on Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) who was a monk in the monastery of Citeaux. The Section was called "Four Degrees of Love":

Out of the four degrees of love, I think I have maybe experienced 3 of the 4. I know for sure I have got the 1st Degree down to a “T”. The Love of Self for Self’s Sake. I believe that I am a master at that. “Human nature is weak and therefore is compelled to love and serve itself first.” I think we are all good at this one. I know have the 2nd degree in love, which is: Love of God for Self’s Sake. God makes himself to be loved. He blesses us with protection. And when we are free from trouble we are happy but because we are prideful we start to think that we are the reason for our own happiness. God then sends storms to humble us and makes us turn to Him in times of trouble. A big slice of Humble Pie. When we realize that we, who only love ourselves, can’t do it on our own and we need God, begin to love God. We begin to love God, even if it’s just to help our own selves out. I believe that I have this one down too.

I can easily think of many times where I am complacent where I am at in life and I start to think that I am the reason that everything is great, and then a storm comes and God rocks my face off and I realize that I need to turn to Him to help ME get out of MY situation. Even though I turn to God and start to love Him is because I am selfish and want His help. The 3rd Degree of Love is “The Love of God for God’s Sake”. This degree of love is the love by which God is now loved for his very self. This sort of love we give to Him is not based off of something we get in return. We love God because He is God. We don’t only love God with our words but with our actions. We love because we are loved; we love others because Jesus loved others. The 4th kind of love is rarely reached, according to Bernard of Clairvaux, so im not going to touch it.

I think we are really good at number 1. I think this is our default setting. We are all experts at loving ourselves and taking care of ourselves. I feel like it am mostly in the 2nd degree of love, where I love God my own sake, because I need Him. I think most of us struggle with getting out of this. I think we are in this degree of love and barely reach the 3rd degree of love of Loving God for God’s Sake. When we really should always be in the 3rd degree and rarely reach the 4th degree, which is Loving Ourselves for God’s Sake.

My prayer is that I am in the state of the 3rd degree of love, loving God for God’s Sake, and love because he has already loved me, and keep that on my mind always. Because I feel that I forget that. All the time.