Selfishness

I have this problem sometimes. Its a problem i KNOW that we have all dealt with.

SELFISHNESS.

Now i know that that word doesnt seem so bad, but its a bitter word to me. What does it mean to be selfish? Well i'll tell ya!

self·ish

  [sel-fish] 

adjective

1.

devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits,welfare, etc., regardless of others.

When i think of being devoted to something, it means that i am really attached to that thing. I put a lot of time into it. So what happens when we become so devoted to ourselves that thats all we are concerned about? Well, for one, it no longer becomes about anyone else. It comes down to the core of--ourselves. We become so wrapped up in what we want, or how we want it, that when it comes down to us, and it doesn't go particularly the way we want it we become, mad, or bitter. Bitterness leads to anger, and that selfish person inside of us tends to flare up and our flesh begins to say things, and do things.--even think things, that maybe we wouldn't normally say, do, or think.

THIS IS NOT FROM GOD!!!!!

I love the book of James. In chapter 3 it says, " But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. ¹⁵ For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind." [[James 3:14-16]]

wow!!! "such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic" Thats a scary thought!! That time when we get selfish, jealous, and bitter are of the flesh, or demonic! I dont want anything to deal with the enemy!! Nonetheless, this is something that i battle with, and i know many others do. Thats why i am so grateful for a God that gives us grace, and love, and covers ALL of our sins. No matter how big or small they are. 
I can tell you, being in leadership, has taught me a great deal about this. While i was a Vice President, and leader for Campus Ministry, I learned how much I had to give less of me, and more of God. I had to give up my control, my thoughts, and my actions, and let God take control. It seemed to turn out a lot better when i did that too. What about when we are serving alongside others? You have to respect the leaders you are under. This has been a huge stepping stone for me, as i was a manager at a couple restaurants. I went from being a manager, where I had to learn not to be selfish, and service along side others, and not think highly of myself, to now I am an assistant in a classroom, where we share a lot of ideas, and skills. It could be very easy to take a selfish thought, and say I can do that better. However, that's not at all what we do. I work with some awesome ladies. We learn off of each other, and really respect each others roles.
A lot of times, when we work with a team of people, and serve under a leader, we have to learn to respect that leader. So often it can be easy to want to do things the way that we want them. We have to remember God anointed certain people to do certain things, and we need to respect that. Because if we are serving under someone, and we prefer things to go our way, and the option isn't there, or that wasn't the way it was directed; we can become very bitter, and angry, that it didn't go the way we wanted it to.
The way your life is set up, if you have chosen to follow God, is he will direct you in your steps. If we try to troubleshoot that, and try to take our steps whatever way we choose, it will not turn out the way God intended! We need to be patieint, wait on Him, and trust that he will deliver.
I encourage you to spend time with God, and ask him what areas in your life you are being selfish. You'll be surprised sometimes what he shows you. You may not even realize it.

³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

The Salt and the Light

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:13-16 NLT)

This is one of my favorite scriptures. It was the lesson at Campus Life tonight. After these past few days, how important is this message?!
When salt loses its saltiness, it's done. What happens when we have light but choose to hide it? It's not to be seen. When a lightbulb goes out, it burns out, the light bulb is dead and we throw it away. If you let a candle burn all the way through, eventually it extinguishes itself.
"You are the light of the world"
We are the light! I'm sure it's not hard to see that there is so much darkness in this world! We are to be the light in the darkness. How do we do that?
Read the bible. The bible tells us what The Lord requires of us. Matthew 5 continues to say that until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of Gods law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. Do you think it's achieved? God has a purpose for all of us. ALL of us! It's by our actions and our deeds that we have the ability to be the light. Be the light! Allow God to use you, and shine his light through you. This world needs people who are willing to stand on top of a hilltop for all to see, and declare that Jesus is coming again and we need to be ready! Will you be Jesus to the least of these? When you become angry with another person, are you being Jesus to them? When you commit adultery, are you being Jesus? What about if you live on grudges and revenge? No. God tells us to love our enemies. What happens when we only love those who we like? We our guilty of casting out judgement on our enemies. If someone wrongs you, Jesus wants us to turn our cheek. He doesn't want us to strike back or have an angry quarrel.
When you start your day are you thanking God for another day? When you go to bed do you have bitterness? The bible says that we aren't to go to bed angry. Thank God for every single day. We don't know which one will be our last. When you die, do you want to be a legacy? I know I want to. That doesn't mean that you're perfect. It means you try to live your life through the eyes of Jesus Christ. You choose to live a bold, courageous life. Not a life of a coward, and in fear! We are to love!
God created light. In Genesis, God seperated the light from darkness. He didnt create light and darkness to mix. Have you ever noticed that the first thing in the bible was that God created the light?
Yesterday we saw something horrible.. A bombing on a marathon that shook the whole nation. Increased security everywhere. Then you look at Korea and what they are doing. Terrorism is a big picture right now in our country, but as it is so easy to go in your flesh, God does not want us to live in fear. When we live in fear, we start losing trust in God, and we slowly our salt starts to lose its taste, and our light starts to get dim. Eventually we will get so low that our light burns out and our salt gets thrown out and trampled on.
So the question I leave with you is will you be the salt and the light? Will you be a city on a hill brightly shining? Will you live a bold, courageous life life? I want to be a Proverbs 31 woman. God-fearing, and strong. My husband is an amazing leader in our marriage and I am extremely blessed. This world is getting closer to Jesus' return. I feel 110% responsible for sharing God with this world. And I pray daily that this nation would not fall, because people chose not to trust God and chose to make decisions in the flesh. Be a light. Choose if you will live a straight on life, or do you choose to live a lukewarm life.. But I'm all in, straight on.
Temptations will arise, but we have to use the strength that God gives us and turn the enemy away. Give to the needy, be a prayer warrior, be selfless, sarcrificial, and don't judge others. Always think as others as better as yourself. Bear good fruit. And set your life on a solid foundation.