“For, brothers, you were called to be free. Only do not let that freedom become an excuse for allowing your old nature to have its way. Instead, serve one another in love. For the whole of the Torah is summed up in this one sentence: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’; but if you go on snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other! What I am saying is this: run your lives by the Spirit. Then you will not do what your old nature wants. For the old nature wants what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is contrary to the old nature. These oppose each other, so that you find yourselves unable to carry out your good intentions. But if you are led by the Spirit, then you are not in subjection to the system that results from perverting the Torah into legalism” (Galatians (Gal) 5:13-18). Back before I was free, I thought I was free. The one thing I was not free from was being selfish. And that sin of selfishness is one I confront daily in myself, in my brothers and sisters, and in the world. Too often I put my needs above the needs of others. Too often I put my rights and my person above loving another. One of the most pervasive sins of our modern society is the sin of selfishness because selfishness is twisted into something virtuous in America.
America is a society of personal ownership. Americans take being an individual seriously. Everything in American culture boils down to the individual and the focus is on self. Americans have made everything about themselves and American culture is fascinated with worship of self. Slogans like “my body my choice”, “your vote matters”, “personal rights”, “individual liberty”, “body autonomy”, “if you see something, say something”, “only you can prevent forest fires” and the like shift American focus on the importance of the individual and the self. Christians even talk a lot about their “personal relationship” with God and following “how the Spirit leads them”. We rarely think about our responsibility to each other at work, at home, or at church. America has desensitized us from loving our neighbor as ourself because we love ourselves way too much.
Over the next however long, I am going to focus on how selfishness has impacted my life. And, selfishly, I am going to take a dive into how I have been a part of being selfish in many of my decisions and how my love of Jesus and His Kingdom has helped me become better at focusing on others. I am by no means great at being selfless. BUT recognizing this problem of selfishness and addressing that problem daily is very helpful in changing my focus. So, let’s see how that goes?
I started out with a portion of Paul’s letter to the folks in Galatia when he addresses what the law is all about as he explains, “For the whole of the Torah is summed up in this one sentence: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’; but if you go on snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, watch out, or you will be destroyed by each other! What I am saying is this: run your lives by the Spirit.” I don’t know about you BUT I was really good at snapping at people before I gave my life over to Jesus to lead. I spent a lot of time sitting on this Google machine attacking folks for being hypocrites and living lies. I blasted and attacked folks for being complicit in all types of horrendous things for their choices in life. I attacked and snapped and made a lot of people go away for good. There are still folks that will probably never speak to me on this side of eternity again because of the things I said to them on social media. So, when I let Jesus be in charge, I went out to make amends to those folks. And I still try to make amends when there are any misunderstandings in my life today. I do that because I have started to take ownership that I am often the problem.
Owning that I am the cause of a lot of my own problems has helped change my focus to how I am acting to others. I come with a lot of baggage and I need to recognize the problem I can allow myself to become in the lives of others. Do people still block me, unfriend me, shun me, ostracize me, banish me? Of course. Do I deserve it? I probably deserve much worse. BUT am I working on it? Not as much as I want and not as much as He is working on me.
So, today, rather than snapping back and tearing each other to pieces over being right, maybe I can focus on listening to someone else even when I don’t agree. Maybe I can let them be right and just validate their right to have an opinion that is different and well thought out. Maybe I can help them clarify what they are trying to say rather than shooting them down as wrong. Maybe I can help strongman their argument rather than strawman it. Maybe I can be understanding and patient rather than condemning and curt. And maybe I can show love to my neighbor, my brother, my sister, and even my enemy. BUT I have to let Him lead me that way because I will not go that way on my own.
Serve His Kingdom by serving one another in love.
Grace and Shalom to your home. The Kingdom of God is now!
I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!
