29 Oct How to Move from Selfishness to Selflessness

The Kingdom Cult of Self (by Kevin J. Conner) says that man was especially created to be filled with God. God himself desired to fill man’s being – man’s self – with Himself.

If man is not filled with God, then he becomes filled with himself, entirely self-centered. He sets himself up as a god, a king, and rules over his own world called “the kingdom of self.”

I don’t know about you, but I sure have done this. I want it when I want it and I want it now. Sound familiar?

However, Christ wants us to come from SELFISHNESS, where one is excessively concerned with oneself, one’s own pleasure and well-being, into SELFLESSNESS, where we live for God and for others in an unselfish life.

Matthew 6:33 says:

“Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Put the spiritual needs first and the physical needs will be taken care of. Give and you shall receive. You reap what you sow. It’s about giving and not getting ,but if we are focused on self, then it becomes about us.

Man’s first need is the need of repentance. Repentance – a change of mind, a change of attitude. Christ came not “to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13).

Faith, along with repentance, is the entire foundation of the Christian life.

The Lord Jesus said, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:24, 25).

The knowledge of our own poverty is what brings us to the proper place where Jesus accomplishes his work. It’s about self-denial, not self-worth, self-love, or self-esteem. SELF-DENIAL is saying no to all subtle forms and all expressions of selfishness and all one’s selfish tendencies! It is saying no to self will, self-admiration, self-exaltation — every expression of selfishness. To deny means “to deny utterly, to disown, to abstain from.”

The cross is dying to SELF, sinful self, selfishness in all its expressions. It is dying to self-will, selfish ambitions, self-pride, and self-love.

It is a “Laying one’s life down” to live for Christ and others and not living for self.