Me, Myself and I

In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul writes, “ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Continuing through the book, Respectable Sins, by Jerry Bridges, we discussed the topic of selfishness. When we let it take root in our lives, it acts as a vine, creeping up and around the base of our Christian life, threatening the fruit a healthy life might bear.

As Christians, can we miss the mark in the area of selfishness? You bet. It’s easy to do. Selfishness is rooted deeply in our sin-nature (see Romans 7:17-20) and in the author’s words, “Selfishness is a difficult sin to expose because it is so easy to see in someone else, but so difficult to recognize in ourselves. In addition, there are degrees of selfishness as well as degrees of subtlety in expressing it.”

Self-absorption isn’t just about not sharing, inconsiderate behavior, or irresponsible stewardship of time and money, it’s about allowing ourselves to get caught up in ourselves, instead of eternal things—Christ’s goodness, our calling, our fellow believers, the lost. The bi-product of this “me-centered mindset” is an attitude that our time is ours to spend, as is our money. Our interests and goals revolve solely around meeting our own needs.

To apply an already well-used analogy, our faith is as a sapling we look after, devote time to, nurture and feed. We hope it bears fruit; we expect it to and anticipate it. We use fruit as a measure of its growth, but our calling to care for the tree is not based on the fruit alone, but obedience to the calling. A selfless life is one that remains devoted to the cause outside of our own interests, feelings and circumstances.

Matthew 16:24 reads, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?’”