"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3)
NOTHING.
That's a pretty strong word. Pretty exclusive. Pretty restrictive.
Do nothing from selfish ambition.
Not out to seek your own goals. Not trying to make yourself look better. Not trying to climb the ladder.
Do nothing from conceit.
Not because you want to be as important as someone else. Not because you want to have a position that everyone will see.
So how has your week been?
How much time have you spent in selfish ambition? How much of your motivation has been conceited?
Too much.
Now look after the conjunction. "...but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."
Rather than looking out for yourself, look out for others.
Rather than setting goals to make yourself look good, set goals for helping others.
How would that change your actions for this coming week?
You might stop to help someone with a menial task. Maybe you would change your plans to visit a sick friend. Maybe you would re-think your career plans.
How would it change your conversations?
Instead of putting others down to make yourself look better, you'll encourage others. Instead of gossiping and backbiting, you'll hold your tongue.
So try it for a week.
Do nothing from selfish ambition. Do everything in humility.
Showing posts with label selfishness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label selfishness. Show all posts
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
You're a selfish pig!
"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?" (James 4:1).
Usually, we think the other person starts an argument.
He did something.
She said something.
If she weren't so...
If he hadn't been so...
But James wrote that the cause for fights is not the other person. It's you. You're the one to blame.
"Your passions are at war within you."
Your desires are driving you. They are controlling your thoughts, words and actions.
What you want to satisfy your desires is greater than what you know is the right thing to do.
In other words, the arguments that you get into are because you are being selfish.
You're a selfish pig!
And that's an important lesson to remember.
When you realize that you are a selfish pig, you'll be willing to stop fighting for your rights and desires.
When you realize that you are a selfish pig, you'll be willing to stand up for the truth and not your wishes and dreams.
It's not a matter of becoming a door mat. It's not even a matter of just sitting back and letting the other person have whatever they want.
It's a matter of standing up for what God says is the right thing to do, to say and to be.
God's goal for you is to become like Christ. God's goal for the other person in your argument is to become like Christ.
So rather than wasting your energy to make the other person to be like you, (i.e. do what you want to do because you want to do it!), use that energy to help them to become like Christ.
Change your passion to becoming like Christ and let that passion drive you.
Those opportunities for argument will become opportunities for you to become like Christ.
Usually, we think the other person starts an argument.
He did something.
She said something.
If she weren't so...
If he hadn't been so...
But James wrote that the cause for fights is not the other person. It's you. You're the one to blame.
"Your passions are at war within you."
Your desires are driving you. They are controlling your thoughts, words and actions.
What you want to satisfy your desires is greater than what you know is the right thing to do.
In other words, the arguments that you get into are because you are being selfish.
You're a selfish pig!
And that's an important lesson to remember.
When you realize that you are a selfish pig, you'll be willing to stop fighting for your rights and desires.
When you realize that you are a selfish pig, you'll be willing to stand up for the truth and not your wishes and dreams.
It's not a matter of becoming a door mat. It's not even a matter of just sitting back and letting the other person have whatever they want.
It's a matter of standing up for what God says is the right thing to do, to say and to be.
God's goal for you is to become like Christ. God's goal for the other person in your argument is to become like Christ.
So rather than wasting your energy to make the other person to be like you, (i.e. do what you want to do because you want to do it!), use that energy to help them to become like Christ.
Change your passion to becoming like Christ and let that passion drive you.
Those opportunities for argument will become opportunities for you to become like Christ.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Unhappy Christians
Does that describe you?
Are you able to paste on a smile at church, but really inside you're pretty depressed, discouraged and sad?
Do you think that you're missing out on the joy that others in church have?
Are you an unhappy Christian?
Maybe you are.
And there may be a good reason.
Which means there's also a solution to your unhappiness.
"Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the way of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart!"
(Psalm 119:1-2)
Put that in the opposite and maybe you'll discover the key to your unhappiness:
Sad are those whose way is not blameless, who do not walk in the way of the LORD!
Sad are those who do not keep His testimonies, who do not seek Him with their whole heart!
It's pretty simple: If you're sad, you're walking in sin, in disobedience to the Lord, and running from the Lord.
If you're happy, you're living in righteousness, walking in obedience, and seeking after the Lord.
Keep in mind that sadness and happiness are not pasted on emotions. Nor are they a resignation to fate.
Both of them are results of the life you choose to live.
Choose to live in obedience, seeking after the Lord with all your being and you will be happy.
Choose to live in sin, living for yourself, seeking to please others and you will be sad.
We want to be happy, but selfishness, laziness and fear keep us from being obedient. Rather than being happy, we are saddened. We learn that it's impossible to please ourselves or to please others and become trapped in a cycle of discouragement.
The solution is simple: Trust and obey. There really is no other way to be happy in Jesus!
Are you able to paste on a smile at church, but really inside you're pretty depressed, discouraged and sad?
Do you think that you're missing out on the joy that others in church have?
Are you an unhappy Christian?
Maybe you are.
And there may be a good reason.
Which means there's also a solution to your unhappiness.
"Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the way of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart!"
(Psalm 119:1-2)
Put that in the opposite and maybe you'll discover the key to your unhappiness:
Sad are those whose way is not blameless, who do not walk in the way of the LORD!
Sad are those who do not keep His testimonies, who do not seek Him with their whole heart!
It's pretty simple: If you're sad, you're walking in sin, in disobedience to the Lord, and running from the Lord.
If you're happy, you're living in righteousness, walking in obedience, and seeking after the Lord.
Keep in mind that sadness and happiness are not pasted on emotions. Nor are they a resignation to fate.
Both of them are results of the life you choose to live.
Choose to live in obedience, seeking after the Lord with all your being and you will be happy.
Choose to live in sin, living for yourself, seeking to please others and you will be sad.
We want to be happy, but selfishness, laziness and fear keep us from being obedient. Rather than being happy, we are saddened. We learn that it's impossible to please ourselves or to please others and become trapped in a cycle of discouragement.
The solution is simple: Trust and obey. There really is no other way to be happy in Jesus!
Monday, March 25, 2013
One or the Other - You Choose
When we went to Grandma Daily's for the holidays, she always had at least two choices of pie. Chocolate meringue and tart cherry are the ones that I remember the most.
My problem was that I could never decide between the two. Of course, I'd already stuffed myself on the other food. But I was a kid and later a teen, so I always had room for pie!
So, what does a grandma do in a situation like that?
She cut the pieces in half and gave me a piece of each! I didn't have to decide between one or the other. I could have both. A great solution for a person who has trouble making up his mind.
That's not how it always works.
Jesus said in Luke 16:13, "No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
Notice what Jesus did not say.
He did not say that money was bad. He did not say that being rich or poor makes a difference in your spiritual life.
What He said was that you can't serve God and serve money at the same time.
You have to make a choice.
And the choice is really simple if you stop to think about it.
Money is a thing that can't love you back. God is a person who demonstrated His love to you already through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Loving money can lead you to sin. Workaholics. Gambling. Stealing. Abuse of power. Deceit.
Loving God will lead you to righteous living. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love" (John 15:10). To display your love to God, you will be obedient to Him. Living a righteous life. Putting off sin. Putting on righteousness.
You can have chocolate meringue and cherry pie. But you can't serve God and money at the same time.
So what does your day look like?
Are you using your money as a tool to show your love to God?
Are you displaying your love to God or your love of money?
You've got to choose.
My problem was that I could never decide between the two. Of course, I'd already stuffed myself on the other food. But I was a kid and later a teen, so I always had room for pie!
So, what does a grandma do in a situation like that?
She cut the pieces in half and gave me a piece of each! I didn't have to decide between one or the other. I could have both. A great solution for a person who has trouble making up his mind.
That's not how it always works.
Jesus said in Luke 16:13, "No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
Notice what Jesus did not say.
He did not say that money was bad. He did not say that being rich or poor makes a difference in your spiritual life.
What He said was that you can't serve God and serve money at the same time.
You have to make a choice.
And the choice is really simple if you stop to think about it.
Money is a thing that can't love you back. God is a person who demonstrated His love to you already through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Loving money can lead you to sin. Workaholics. Gambling. Stealing. Abuse of power. Deceit.
Loving God will lead you to righteous living. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love" (John 15:10). To display your love to God, you will be obedient to Him. Living a righteous life. Putting off sin. Putting on righteousness.
You can have chocolate meringue and cherry pie. But you can't serve God and money at the same time.
So what does your day look like?
Are you using your money as a tool to show your love to God?
Are you displaying your love to God or your love of money?
You've got to choose.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Your heart is showing
You can tell a lot about a person by what they talk about.
Kids, spouse, work, school, career, hobbies, cars, homes, money. All those are great topics of conversation and are things that we should be talking about.
But as you listen to others and to yourself, what topics keep popping up?
Even if it's not in a false bragging way, just talking about something a lot reveals what is important to that person.
Those things that we treasure, we talk about. We want everyone to know about our new car. We let others know how great our kids are in school and sports. We rave about last night's dinner creation. We show off our new home.
Jesus said, "For where your treasure is there will your heart be also" (Luke 12:34).
So every time you talk about your treasures, you are revealing your heart.
Think about what you talked about yesterday. What was the topic of conversation over the weekend?
What are your treasures?
What does that reveal about your heart?
Don't you find yourself in some conversations just itching to say something about yourself? Relay a story to top the last story. Talk about something that you know that no one else knows about. Let people know the people you know and the places you've been.
All too often our greatest treasure is our self. Numero uno.
Now think about the things that you didn't talk about yesterday. What things do you say are important, yet you haven't said anything about them for a week?
Have you told anyone that Jesus died for their sins in the last week?
Have you let anyone know how they can get to heaven?
Have you told anyone what God has been teaching you?
What you talk about reveals your treasures, which reveals your heart.
What does your heart look like?
Kids, spouse, work, school, career, hobbies, cars, homes, money. All those are great topics of conversation and are things that we should be talking about.
But as you listen to others and to yourself, what topics keep popping up?
Even if it's not in a false bragging way, just talking about something a lot reveals what is important to that person.
Those things that we treasure, we talk about. We want everyone to know about our new car. We let others know how great our kids are in school and sports. We rave about last night's dinner creation. We show off our new home.
Jesus said, "For where your treasure is there will your heart be also" (Luke 12:34).
So every time you talk about your treasures, you are revealing your heart.
Think about what you talked about yesterday. What was the topic of conversation over the weekend?
What are your treasures?
What does that reveal about your heart?
Don't you find yourself in some conversations just itching to say something about yourself? Relay a story to top the last story. Talk about something that you know that no one else knows about. Let people know the people you know and the places you've been.
All too often our greatest treasure is our self. Numero uno.
Now think about the things that you didn't talk about yesterday. What things do you say are important, yet you haven't said anything about them for a week?
Have you told anyone that Jesus died for their sins in the last week?
Have you let anyone know how they can get to heaven?
Have you told anyone what God has been teaching you?
What you talk about reveals your treasures, which reveals your heart.
What does your heart look like?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Why so unhappy?
There are a lot of unhappy people in the world around us. Some may laugh and smile a lot when they're around others. But many are putting on a front.
Maybe you're one of those.
You've tried to find happiness in life. But your career has turned into just work. Your family has disappointed you. Your friends are busy. Maybe you've even been disappointed with the promised joy in drugs, sex and money.
Surely, there must be something that will make you happy.
David was the greatest king Israel ever had. From a shepherd boy to king, he had lived the rags to riches story. He must have been very happy.
He was. But it wasn't because of his position and power. It wasn't because of his wealth and women.
His joy was found in God.
"I say to the LORD, 'You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You'" (Ps 16:2). If he didn't have God, he would have nothing good in his life.
"As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight" (v 3). He enjoyed spending time with others who were pursuing God.
"...indeed I have a beautiful inheritance" (v 6). His joy was not found in the earthly riches that were around him, but in his eternal inheritance. Heaven is going to be so much better than anything we could accumulate on earth!
"...because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken" (v 8b). God was his counselor and protector. He had nothing to fear.
"Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure" (v 9). True joy and security was not found in circumstances or surroundings, but in God.
"For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption" (v 10). Death does not even bring despair, because it is only a passage to eternal life in God's presence.
"You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (v 11). God directs and leads us to joy and eternal pleasures.
So joy comes from obeying and trusting God. Seeking delight in Him and in doing His will, not in our selfish desires, will bring happiness.
Obedience to God brings joy.
Selfishness brings sorrow.
So if you're not happy, you're probably being selfish. If you're not happy, you're not being obedient to God.
Choose to obey and trust God. He promises to bring you joy.
Maybe you're one of those.
You've tried to find happiness in life. But your career has turned into just work. Your family has disappointed you. Your friends are busy. Maybe you've even been disappointed with the promised joy in drugs, sex and money.
Surely, there must be something that will make you happy.
David was the greatest king Israel ever had. From a shepherd boy to king, he had lived the rags to riches story. He must have been very happy.
He was. But it wasn't because of his position and power. It wasn't because of his wealth and women.
His joy was found in God.
"I say to the LORD, 'You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You'" (Ps 16:2). If he didn't have God, he would have nothing good in his life.
"As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight" (v 3). He enjoyed spending time with others who were pursuing God.
"...indeed I have a beautiful inheritance" (v 6). His joy was not found in the earthly riches that were around him, but in his eternal inheritance. Heaven is going to be so much better than anything we could accumulate on earth!
"...because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken" (v 8b). God was his counselor and protector. He had nothing to fear.
"Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure" (v 9). True joy and security was not found in circumstances or surroundings, but in God.
"For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption" (v 10). Death does not even bring despair, because it is only a passage to eternal life in God's presence.
"You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (v 11). God directs and leads us to joy and eternal pleasures.
So joy comes from obeying and trusting God. Seeking delight in Him and in doing His will, not in our selfish desires, will bring happiness.
Obedience to God brings joy.
Selfishness brings sorrow.
So if you're not happy, you're probably being selfish. If you're not happy, you're not being obedient to God.
Choose to obey and trust God. He promises to bring you joy.
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