Selfish?

I watched a documentary about a well-known celebrity, actor, politician in which the word “I” was prominent. The person proudly declared how hearing a thousand people chanting his name was his dream from childhood. He was born in an off the main road town and became world-renowned by the age of 21. There is no doubt that his drive and intensity produced the results he wanted, but is that all life is about?  Is it just our trophies, our record of achievement, the number of people who speak our name, the measure of success?

Jesus calls us to a different way of living, one that He demonstrated in His own life. "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?" (Luke 9:23-25, NLT)  How quickly I nod in agreement but when I really stop to think about that call, the challenge is clear.  

Honestly, I take care of Jerry!  There is always a current of self-interest flowing through me. Some of that is healthy. A person who hates themselves becomes a wreck, often doing damage to people around them, too.  Failing to take care of one’s self – bathing, eating, interacting with others properly - is a sign of mental distress.

However, when we turn healthy care of our body and soul into a self-centered worship of “Me, Myself, and I”  insisting that "the world owes me happiness" our lives become ugly. We become parasites that rob life from others, stealing their sunshine, grabbing every larger slices of life to feed Self.  The evidence of this imbalance is abundant in our present culture. “I gotta be me” is said without a hint of shame. Commitments take a back seat to “what makes me feel good now.”  Loyalty is rare. Duty has become a kind of curse word.

Living for self is natural when one does not know and love God. After all, life is short. If it comes down to how much happiness we can enjoy for the 7 or 8 decades we live under the sun, Self must be served.

Christian, we know that there is more than that to our existence. By faith we see over the horizon of time and into eternity. That is why Jesus’ call to die to Self makes sense. We are investing our lives and in the process finding a richer, fuller life than we can naturally imagine.  In Matthew 25, we catch a glimpse of the promise. "Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’

 And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’" (Matthew 25:34-40, NLT)

Are you one of those Christians who has bought into a 'gospel of self-enhancement?’ (McLaren)  We are tempted to rewrite the Scripture’s declaration that "God loves the world" into "God loves ME and wants ME to be happy!” Truthfully,  Jesus did not come to give us the ability to become more healthy, more wealthy, and more happy than our neighbors. In the process of living the life of the Spirit we may discover some of those blessings, but they are by-products of the work of the Spirit that restores the image of God in us which was lost to sin and selfishness.  The whisper of the Spirit, deep within us, is insistent that we exist for some reason greater than piling up lots of stuff to play with or carving out a place of comfort where we can live out our days in self-indulgence. Jesus says that if we embrace self-sacrifice, only then do we truly find life!

Do something for someone today for which you expect NO THANKS. It doesn't have to be grand. Maybe it's listening to somebody's story, or washing your kid's clothes, or picking up trash in the parking lot. Pray for the most miserable person you know, asking God's blessing for them.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you to abandon complaining and seeking for recognition. Seek to be a servant for Jesus' sake. You will find ‘life to the full.’

 Here's a word from the Word. As you read pray that the Holy Spirit will let you appreciate the joy that can be found in humble service to God, expressed in serving others.

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death-and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth-even those long ago dead and buried-will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:5-11 (The Message, a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible)

(Video of this blog at this link)

____________________

Only Jesus

Make it count
leave a mark
build a name for yourself
Dream your dreams
chase your heart above all else
Make a name the world remembers

But all an empty world can sell is empty dreams
I got lost in the light when it was up to me
To make a name the world remembers
But Jesus is the only name to remember

And I I don't want to leave a legacy
I don't care if they remember me
Only Jesus
And I I've only got one life to live
I'll let every second point to Him
Only Jesus

All the kingdoms built all the trophies won
Will crumble into dust when it's said and done
'Cause all that really matters
Did I live the truth to the ones I love
Was my life the proof that there is only One
Whose name will last forever

Jesus is the only name
Jesus is the only name
Jesus is the only name to remember

I I don't want to leave a legacy
I don't care if they remember me
Only Jesus

 

Bernie Herms | Mark Hall | Matthew West

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