Selfishness vs. Selflessness

It’s sad that everyone in our culture today seems to be looking out for #1 – themselves…

[This is the second part in a series on the book of Philippians.]

Philippians 2:1-11

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

I’ve had more than my share of “disagreements” with people in my lifetime. I have had plenty of times where somebody just rubbed me the wrong way. I have had countless times where somebody just did something to me that made me SO MAD that I LITERALLY wanted to knock them out! I think maybe you can relate to me. Whether its somebody jumping ahead of you in line at Disneyland, cutting you off on the freeway, eating the last donut in the kitchen, or just blatantly putting themselves before you. Can you really blame them though?

We live in a world that is continually tells us to “look out for number one”; a world that is increasingly persuading people that THEY are the most important people in this world. This is reflected by all the conflicts we see on a day to day basis. In high school, I remember I couldn’t get through a school day without somebody wanting to meet somebody else in the parking lot to throw them a beat-down because of something they did, or didn’t do. Our society is constantly getting into disagreement, arguments, fights, all because of ONE thing. We look out for number one. And if you really think about it, all these conflicts we see and deal with on a daily basis, causing our stress levels to heighten, blood pressure to rise, can usually be linked to one thing: SELFISHNESS.

Selfishness can destroy relationships, divide families, and ruin lives.

Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came down to earth and became a servant to all. Think about that. HE IS GOD. He is the KING of kings, the LORD of lords, the ALPHA and OMEGA! If He wanted you to stop breathing, guess what, your lungs stop. He is all powerful, all knowing, all seeing, all present, and can do ANYTHING He so pleases. He spoke EVERYTHING that is in existence, INTO EXISTENCE. He made you and I out of DUST. And if He so desired, back into dust we would go. But instead of exercising His power and authority to be served, He chose to come down to earth to serve His people. He, who is above all, and before all, has every right to be selfish, but instead came to be our example, and further more, our savior. Jesus, in every way, modeled true SELFLESSNESS.

Jesus Himself tells us in Mark 10:25,

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus knows that the only way for us to truly live together, experiencing the abundant, joyful, peaceful lives He wants for us is to live selflessly.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” Philippians 2:3

What if we all took selflessness seriously? Think of what it could look like if we all, just us Christians, didn’t just look to our own interests, but first looked to the interests of others? What if we completely sold out to Jesus’ example of doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility put others before ourselves? To steal a line from my good friend Christ Nicely, “What if we lived like the word of God were true?” What would that do for your family? How would that change your school? How would that revolutionize your team? How would that impact your church? What could our world look like if we all took Jesus’ words to heart, put off our own selfish desires and became SELFLESS. I think we could stop a lot of hurting in this world. I think we could live more meaningful, significant lives if we all decided to become more selfless.

I pray that today you will begin to think of ways you can put off your own selfish ambitions, comforts, and wants, to go out and serve someone else’s needs. Think of how you might be able to go out and bless someone by serving them. Give of yourself FREELY without asking for something in return.

This week, find a way to serve someone when you would otherwise be serving yourself. Volunteer at a hospital, or a retirement home. Pay for the person behind you in line at Starbucks. Oh, here’s a big one – ask someone if they need PRAYER for anything! Start a habit TODAY of thinking of others more important than yourself, and see just how much LOVE you can shine into the world, to the glory of Jesus Christ, who first came to serve you.

What are some other ways you can actively go serve others? You can leave a comment by clicking here.