Me, Me, Me

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value other above yourselves.”  Phil 2:3

The apostle Paul wrote this.  It is a perfect reflection of the way in which Jesus behaved when he walked on the earth.  It is the way we are called to act.  Simple, right?

If there were a verse to write on the inside of my eyelids, this would probably be it.  I wish I could say that I always put others best interest and wishes ahead of my own.  I don’t.  I am selfish.  My default is to first take care of my own wishes and desires before considering those wishes and desires, and even needs, of others.  Thank goodness, I am not alone.

Paul also writes this: in Romans 7:15:

“I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

Such is the human condition.  Hopeless?  Not at all.

Once we acknowledge at our most basic level that we are selfish beings, we have the chance for change.  However, this change cannot be accomplished only through our own effort.  If we are to begin to act differently, we must begin to think differently.  And if we are to begin to think differently, we need the Holy Spirit’s help.  If we believe in Christ and we ask him to change our hearts, he will.  His gift of the Holy Spirit will enable us to start making the change in us so that we can start acting more like Jesus.  Our heart will become more like his heart, and we can begin to shift our focus more away from us to others.

We are promised as we start to meet the needs of others, God himself will see that our needs are met.  This is especially true in marriage.  One of the 6 Secrets to Lasting Love that Dr. Gary and Barb Rosberg promote in their book by the same name, is “Serving Your Spouse.”  When we start focusing on meeting the needs of our spouse, it seems that ours start to me met as well. 

If you are like me, you need Jesus.  You need the Holy Spirit.  Everyone does.  And the gift is free. 

You see, every one of us has this selfish nature called sin.  God expects perfection.  If we are to be accepted by God, how do we cross this bottomless chasm between our sin and God?  That’s where Jesus came in.

Jesus, the Son of God, was sent to the earth so that all men would have the chance to be reconciled with God.  He spent a 3-year ministry telling as many people as he could about why he came and how to return to the commandments of God rather than the man-created rituals and man-made religious laws and traditions.  The religious leaders rejected him (as God knew they would) and so Jesus was killed by the religious leaders.  This sacrifice, not understood by the religious leaders at the time, took place so that all our sins could be forgiven by God and therefore we can be completely accepted by God. 

Not only that, but God raised him from the dead after 3 days to prove that Jesus could overcome death, and to show us what we can have if we choose to follow him.

Incredible you say?  Yep!  So what’s the “catch”?  You have to let him in.  You have to say “yes” to Jesus.  You must acknowledge who he is and what he did and ask him to remove your sin and send his gift of the Holy Spirit to help you change to the person that God wants you to be.  It is that simple and that hard.  Simple because it only takes a sincere prayer to ask Jesus in, hard because it means you are willing to let him be the Lord of your life and relinquish the reigns.

I promise, if you do take that bold step, your life will be changed forever.  You will be able to become more sensitive to the needs of others.  

Why not take that first step today, right now?  You can.  Just earnestly and honestly pray this:

"Jesus, I understand why you came down to earth.  I know that you were sent by God to be the substitute sacrifice for my sins.  Now that I know and understand that, I want to ask you to take control of my life and change me from the inside out so that I will be acceptable to God and so that I may receive the promise of everlasting life.  Amen."

Welcome to your new life in Christ!

If I can help you in your relationships or both Linda and I can help in your marriage relationship, let us know.  You can find us at www.LKRChristianLifeCoaching.com  or at 972-463-1937.  We have a special group event coming up as well – see the flyer and information to register on our website at www.LKRChristianLifeCoaching.com/events.