The Sin of Selfishness

Kari Beougher

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4

This past weekend I kept my sisters 4 kids, ages 6 and under. I absolutely adore my nieces and nephews and above all other career choices desire to one day be a mother. However, this weekend was a strong indication for me of my selfishness. I am convinced that being a mother is one of the most selfless endeavors tin existence. Every moment of parenting is spent serving, cleaning. feeding and caring for another. This past weekend, I realized how pervasive selfishness is. It is so easy to be selfish with time, money, plans, relationships- and yet that is not the mindset or attitude Christ calls believers to.

The passage in Philippians goes on to say, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Phillippians 2:5-8. Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of the world, exemplified the most selfless attitude and actions of all time. And because He dwells inside believers, we are able to choose to love others above ourselves.

Today may we pray with the psalmist, "Incline my heart to your testimonies and not toward selfish gain!" (Psalm 119:36). May we actively look for opportunities to serve others and put their interests above our own.

Humbled and Exalted

“He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:52-53, ESV).

I find it interesting that God lifts the humble and lowers those who are arrogant. I admit that I have been in both groups - I have been lifted by the Lord but I have been humbled many times. It is a balance that only God can bring. It is a balance that I can also count on.

This Christmas, we will probably be with someone who wants to share how well they are doing. It might be in the form of bragging or being arrogant about what they believe and why. It might be someone new to the group or a family member that we have to brace ourselves before we see. It may be someone at the party of a friend or someone we see at a work dinner.

Whatever the case, let's decide that we will pray for the person. Instead of arguing, getting huffy, trying to top them or replying with sarcasm; let's decide now that we will give the person to the Lord. Let's choose to humble ourselves and serve them, knowing that God will take care of the problem. He will set them in their rightful place. He will humble them in a way that is better and more efficient.

Mary sang before the Lord in praise. She came humbly before the Lord. He honored her humbleness. It was years before anyone knew her story, but God used her to change lives and change history.

I pray that we will have a "Mary" Christmas!

Mary - the Humble Servant

“And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant” (Luke 1:46-48a, ESV).

Mary is my hero! She magnified the Lord, rejoiced with God, and stayed humble in the middle of it all. In her song found in Luke 1:46-55, we see that she was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah partly because she was humble. She wasn't seeking this high position. She rejoiced when she found her calling. There was no press release, she didn't Tweet about it, and she didn't post photos on Facebook of her growing belly. :) She just rejoiced before the Lord and with Elizabeth's family. Mary kept things in perspective and chose to be the humble servant chosen to carry our Lord.

This Christmas, I want to be like Mary. There are many things to do and many of them servant-oriented. What I do will not be known to the world, in fact few will notice. I doubt that anyone will know how much shopping (gifts and groceries) I have done, how much cooking, how many gifts I have wrapped, how much time I have spent in the kitchen, how many towels and sheets I will wash, or how much work goes into hosting family and friends. I didn't say it would not involve some fun in there but there is much to do and for the most part, it won't be known.

As I write this, it is the weekend before Christmas. Family and friends start arriving on Tuesday and if I were to stop and write a to-do list, I would never finish writing (so I had better get busy)! I'm concentrating on being like Mary. (Of course, that is like making a public declaration for the enemy to use.) I'm going to think about the outcome of Christmas and look for how I can serve my family and others - without griping. I'm going to try to work and serve as unto the Lord - at least I'm going to start each day trying to allow God to serve through me without the fanfare.

Will you join me? I pray that we all have a "Mary" Christmas!

What does the Lord require?

"He has told you men what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: Only to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8, HCSB).

It's Monday again...all day long. I would love to tell you that I woke up excited to pursue the day but I didn't. I pulled the covers over my head and asked God why. Why did I have to get up? Why do I over-commit to so many things? Why do I have to leave again in two days? Why do I not have enough hours to complete things like remodeling, my dissertation, housework, grading, etc? Why do I let people talk me into preparing so many new messages in one month? Anyway...you know the drill.

When I opened my Bible (after my favorite cereal and Starbucks decaf Samatra), this verse in Micah was where it fell open. Oh how He spoke to me today. God only requires that I act justly, love faithfulness, and walk humbly. I must be fair, be faithful, and be humble. That's it. Burden gone (well almost). God never meant for me to do it alone. I'm fairly sure that He didn't want me to take all these things on. I know that He will continue to work with me and through me.

As leaders, many people look to us to fulfill their needs. Many think we are there to be the answer to every problem. While we pray about every one, today be reminded that God is just calling us to be fair, faithful, and humble. May He walk with you today in all you do.