Battling Selfishness

“NOBODY SHOULD SEEK HIS OWN GOOD, BUT THE GOOD OF OTHERS.”

1 CORINTHIANS 10:24 NIV

As citizens of God’s kingdom, we live by a different value system. “Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” Now let’s be honest; that’s hard to do and easy to forget, because selfishness is a battle we fight daily.

When Jesus was hanging on the cross in intense pain, He took time for a condemned criminal hanging next to Him (See Lk 23:39-43). When Stephen was being stoned to death, he prayed for those who were killing him, asking God not to lay the sin to their charge (See Ac 7:59-50). Though Paul and Silas were beaten and wrongly imprisoned, they took the time to minister to their jailer. Even after God sent a powerful earthquake that broke their chains and opened their prison doors, they remained there just for the purpose of ministering to their captor. How tempting it must have been to run away while the opportunity was there. How easy it would have been to take care of themselves and not worry about anybody else. Bur their act of love moved the jailer to ask how he might be saved. As a result, he and his entire family were won to Christ (See Ac 16:25-34).

When we begin to win the war against selfishness and walk in love, others will take notice. We’ll never win the world by being like them. So here’s the question you need to answer: How many of your loved ones might come to know Jesus if you demonstrated that you genuinely loved them, instead of ignoring, judging or rejecting them? It’s time to find out!