Why I am a Selfish Person

Monday, June 19th, 2006

I hope everyone is not as slow to learn life’s lessons as I am. The reason I say that is I don’t want you to find yourself in the same predicament I am at the present time. I woke up this morning in this huge hole financially as I have every morning now for quite some time. And I know part of the reason I am in this huge financial hole is because I didn’t see the needs of other people as being as important as my own. Therefore I didn’t move to help them. Instead I used all of what God gave me to help myself and now both those that need my help and I, are going without because I didn’t learn this valuable life lesson the first time God taught the class on sharing.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:3 “If anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he is deceived.” When I think more highly of myself than I have a right to think, I am exalting myself and my needs above the needs of everyone else. This is dangerous ground for a Christian because God expects us to give a portion of everything He gives us to someone else to meet their needs. If we do, we receive another blessing; and when we repeat the process, we keep on receiving blessings. If we refuse to help others as we have been commanded; we will soon find the flow of blessings will stop flowing in our direction. The reason God requires us to be givers is when we give a portion of what God has blessed us with in the name of Jesus to another person; whether it is our money, our time, or whatever; the Holy Spirit can then start ministering to that person or group of people spiritually. People become more open to the Lord after they have had their physical need met than they are when a person tries to minister to them spiritually and they are still hurting physically. Jesus always met a persons physical need before moving on to meet their spiritual need. If it worked for Him, it will certainly work for us. But most of us are slow learners and get into trouble when we think only of our needs and forget about the needs of others. It like getting the cart before the horse so to speak; and in the end we suffer failure instead of success in our soul winning efforts. And that is just one of the reasons why the church is in financial need, most of the congregants are sick, and many others don’t come to church except on Easter.

We would do well to remember the words of an old hymn, “God looked beyond the cross and saw my need.” When I refuse to see past people’s faults and help them when they are in need, I have totally forgotten what Christ Jesus did for me. DThrash

• Posted in: Christianity