March 2, 2012 | Leave a comment Today, Friday March 2, 2012, is the seventh day of our preparing our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday. Today I need to accept that if I truly desire to serve Jesus as He demands then I need to “put off” selfishness and “put on” selflessness. Most people do not think of themselves as selfish. We rationalize about how much we love our spouse, kids or families. We think about how hard we work at our job and what conscientious employees we are. Then we think that we would “bend over backwards” to help one of our friends who was in need. We need to examine our motives in light of Jesus’ example. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43–48 (NASB) When I only love those who love me I am serving my own needs. When I work hard for myself or my employer I am the one who receives the benefit. When I help my friend and ignore your friend once more I am serving my own interests. In each case I am acting selfishly and not behaving selflessly. According to Jesus this is not how those who follow Him are to live. In order to serve Jesus as He demands I need to “put off” selfishness and “put on” selflessness. Jesus teaches us that for Christians the motivation for whom and what we choose to serve or care about is to be different from those who are lost (referred to in the preceding text as “tax collectors” and “Gentiles”). The fact is that when you or I only love those who love us or help those who have helped us we are behaving from our flesh natures and are no different from the lost. When we live according to our better natures (our spiritual nature) then and only then are we behaving and loving as citizens of Jesus’ kingdom who allow God’s Spirit to live in and through us. Selfishness occurs whenever I am “concerned chiefly with my own personal profit or pleasure at the expense of consideration for others.” When I want my way and do not care how getting my way affects you, I am being selfish. Whenever I feel as though my needs are not being meet and that in order for me to get more you need to receive less, then I am being selfish. As a follower of Jesus Christ my motivation for living is to give Him glory! Imagine what a different world it would be if we all lived “selflessly” by the following two verses. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; Philippians 2:3 (NASB) [Love] does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB) If living in such a world sounds appealing to you then consider that for the fruit of selflessness to become abundant on this planet then living selflessly must first take root in me and in you. Today I need to “put off’ selfishness and “put off” selflessness, and my guess is that so do you!