Selfishness

By Glen Elliott       Selfishness is a leading cause of unhappiness. More and more, we are being led to believe that happiness is best secured by looking out for our own personal interests. Too many have traveled that lonely and desperate path never again to find the joy of giving and helping others simply because it is the thing which love demands.     Jesus came offering freedom. Such freedom is not found in the selfish pursuit of pleasure but in humble submission to the will of the Father. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:32). God’s truth reveals selfishness as a life of futility and hopelessness.     Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it” (Matt. 16:25). True life is found only as we lose ourselves in service to Christ. Serving God and others gives us a sense of purpose. Serving our own selfish desires results in disappointment because we can never get enough of the things we want to satisfy the cravings of the flesh. In Matthew sixteen, Jesus went on to ask, “For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul” (vs. 25).     If your life is geared only toward the “here and now”, what will be your hope on the day of eternity? Power, prestige, and possessions can never take the place of commitment to God and loving service to those around us. The apostle Paul reminds us to “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself…” (Ph. 2:3). Try it. You’ll be immediately impressed with the results.

- Glen Elliott preaches for the Greenbrier church of Christ in Greenbrier, AR. He may be contacted through the congregation's website - https://www.gbcofc.com/*