WHAT TO DO WITH "SELF"

As one considers the philosophies of this world and the philosophies set forth in the teachings of the New Testament, it becomes apparent that there are vast differences.  One area where these differences are so vivid is in the attitude that one has toward "self".  The world tends to view "self" as the center of attention and the ambition of those with this worldly philosophy is to please and satisfy "self", to promote "self" and to make "self" priority number one.

When this attitude is taken into relationships, the results are devastating.  How many times in our society do we see communities, churches and even families torn apart by this selfish worldly philosophy?  When this philosophy is taken into the marriage relationship, it is a guarantee of unhappiness and that marriage will likely fail.

Yet, in the New Testament, the teachings of Jesus Christ promote a much different philosophy than that of the world.  In Matthew 16:24, Jesus states: "If anone would come after Me, he must deny himself...."   Yes, to be a disciple of Christ we must first rid ourselves of this self-centered, worldly philosophy.

In Mark 9:33-35, Jesus responds to an argument which His disciples were having concerning which of them was the greatest.  In verse 35, Jesus states: "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last and servant of all."

We are told in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, that this attitude of self denial is one of the characteristics of love.  "Love is not self seekiing."  In Philippians 2:3-4 we are told, 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. 

Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a place where everyone holds to this philosophy of self denial, where everyone considers others better than "self", where everyone is concerned more with the interests of others than the interests of "self"?  Wouldn't it be a wonderful place to live?  It would be almost like "HEAVEN".

-By Wendell Ingram, 2008

My Other Blog:

http://familyties-ingram.blogspot.com/

...for dominion belongs

to the LORD

and He rules over the nations.

Psalm 22:28 (NIV)

Keep your faith... Regardless of what happens on November 4th,God is still in control!

Some of the little birds that ate in our yard...taken last winter

The little wild birds we started feeding 3 years ago have vanished.  We fed them every morning just outside our sunroom but recently we saw a hawk come through and land in one of our trees.  We had doves, cardinals, sparrows, wrens and others come every morning and we enjoyed them so much...but  no longer do the little birds come and eat in our yard. We will miss them.  We're hoping they will come back.

2 Corinthians  3:2-3: Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Our lives are messages, either good or bad ones, that are being presented to others daily.  How are we presenting ourselves to the ones with whom we come in contact...with  our actions and also with the words we speak...especially to the little children who may happen to live at our house?  

May we live in a way that God could look at the sermon we are preaching by our lives each day, and say:  "I am the God of Heaven...and I approve this message!" 

During my lifetime at certain points I tended to just read over certain Scriptures and not think too much about them, but at the various seasons of life, some tend to have very special meaning. Here are my favorites for the seasons of my life.  Precious Promises!

1. Spring of Life:

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

2. Late Spring of Life: 

When we first learned and obeyed the gospel...Luke 1:32-33: He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

2. Summer of Life:

When our children were growing up: Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

3. Autumn of Life:

Romans 8:37-39  "...in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

4. Winter of Life:

2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.