I was just unfriended by someone who wanted to believe it was alright to think of ourselves. The more scripture I place to prove that thinking of self is not a virtue the more frustrated this person became. I could not convince her that we should seek to think only of God and others, that it comes naturally to think of ourselves, no need to work at that. In fact, the less we think of ourselves the more useful to God we can become. The modern thinking that we must love ourselves first before we can love anyone else has ruined the church. When we give people permission to elevate self then we have destroyed their usefulness to God. Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Luke 9:23 "And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Matthew 10:38 "And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Christ was our example of the life He expects for us. He denied Himself to the point of dying on a terrible cross for the sins of other people. Had He thought for even one moment about Himself, He never would have obeyed His Father and gone to that cross. John 12:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." Romans 12:1 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." It is difficult to submit to one another when we are busy thinking of ourselves. Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Philippians 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Posted on: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 21:55:59 +0000