Selfishness is a malignant cancer.   It seems like all our society is based on ourselves.   All we think about is ourselves.   What about me?   What about my feelings, my time, my money?   With many of us, all we can think of is ourselves, and what we can get out of life.   We're so busy thinking about ourselves that we fail to notice others.   All we think about is ourselves, our little social groups, and ignore and exclude everyone else.

Things are not much better inside the Christian church.   Some church people are so attached to the status quo of their church that they fail to notice a visitor come into the church.   They are so caught up in their clicks in the church that they ignore and even shun people new to the church.   Brethren, this ought not be so.   I know this because I have experienced it.   I've also seen what an inviting, friendly church is like.   I've seen that the so-called Charismatic churches tend to be more friendly than the fundamentalist/Baptist ones.   (The Baptist church I'm attending now is friendly and welcoming.)   Now we need to start being more friendly or everyone will go the Charismatic churches and get caught up in their unbiblical nonsense.   Do you really want this to happen?   Do you really want to send seekers into that sort of error so that you can maintain your clicks?

Selfishness is a great evil.   “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's”   (Phil 2:27).   If you are always thinking of yourself and what YOU want and what pleases you, you are seeking after your own and not what Christ desires for you.   Always looking after what you (i.e. your carnal desires) want will not get you to the abundant life that He wants for you.   “But in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better that themselves.” (Phil 2:3).   We should meekly and humbly consider everyone else BETTER than ourselves.    

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty, only not use liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another”   (Gal 5:13).   “But by love serve one another.”   The idea that we, as Christians, are all servants of one another goes against all selfishness.   When you are a servant, you think about what he whom you are serving wants, not what you yourself wants.   “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:   And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”   (Col 3:22,23).   And those who desire to be leaders in the church must be servants of all: “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:”     (Matt 20:27).  

We are the servants of God, and it is our DUTY to serve Him.   When you do something for the Lord, do not boast in your heart, saying surely God will reward me good for this.   Think, I'm just doing my duty.  

7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Luke 17:7-10

We should humbly serve our God, not pridefuly serve!

“Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.”     (! Cor 10:24).  

We need to be selfless.   Here is an example of selflessness.   Epaphroditus (E-paph-ro-di'tus) kept working for Christ despite a very serious illness that almost killed him.   He knew Paul was in need and nothing was going to stop him from helping him

25 Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
26 For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.
27 For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
Phil 2:25-27

People like him should be highly esteemed in the church.   “Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:   Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.”     (Phil 2:29, 30).   If you are a servant of others you will naturally not be selfish.

We should not be selfish.   We should be willing to give of our time, our money, our thoughts, our homes, and our energy.   But on the other hand, we shouldn't give ourselves away so much as to make our families suffer.   And if you don't provide your own family's needs, you are worse than an infidel (1Tim 5:8).   There is a balance that needs to be maintained between the two.   We should look to the needs of others, and not just ourselves.   We should stop thinking about ourselves and think about the needs of others, for a change.   We should welcome every stranger that enters our churches.   Selfishness is a sin, and we should all repent of it.

Alive in Christ Homepage www.aliveinchrist.us