Prison Break
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 NKJV
When God made man He made him in His own image and likeness. Satan, who is self-centered and who got kicked out of heaven because of pride (pride is always rooted in self-centeredness), came and wanted to corrupt this image. Before, man was just like God, Whose focus is always on others as He demonstrated on the cross by putting our interests above His. Satan prevailed in making man not just shift his eyes from the consequences of his actions on his descendants, but also from God. Sin started when man shifted his focus to himself. Since then man has been self-centered by nature from birth, evidenced by how selfish babies can be, wanting everything for themselves and throwing a fit when they don't get it. When we accepted Christ His image in us was reborn, and now just like babies we have to know that the world doesn't revolve around us. We ought to renew our minds daily to get our focus off ourselves and set on God and others, as the Scriptures also instruct us not to look out only for our own interests, but those of others.
Self-centeredness is a prison as it shuts us out from others and shuts us in by ourselves. Though salvation set us free from sin and bondage, a believer can continue living in bondage which is why Jesus when speaking to His disciples (those who believed in Him) talked of them abiding in the truth and being set free (Jn. 8:31-33). You know you're in the self-centered prison if your prayers revolve around you, if when provision comes your way it's all for you, when you spend your day so focused on your needs and problems that you don't notice anyone else around you, when in your mind your gifts, abilities and talents are to help you make it in life etc. Immediately after telling us to not just look out for our own interests but also that of others, Paul said we should let the mind that was in Christ be in us, Who throughout His life on earth all the way to the cross and grave put our interests above His (Phil. 2:5-11).
Reflection:
What if all believers had fervent love for one another and put each other's interests above theirs, using our gifts to edify others (Rom. 12:10, 1 Pet. 4:-10)? What if we focused more on encouraging others rather than seeking to be encouraged, giving more than receiving, loving unconditionally more than being loved, putting a smile on someone's face more than getting someone to put one on us? How would the world look like if we all broke free from the prison of self-centeredness and walked around with the same mind that was and is in Christ?
Grace and peace to you!
When God made man He made him in His own image and likeness. Satan, who is self-centered and who got kicked out of heaven because of pride (pride is always rooted in self-centeredness), came and wanted to corrupt this image. Before, man was just like God, Whose focus is always on others as He demonstrated on the cross by putting our interests above His. Satan prevailed in making man not just shift his eyes from the consequences of his actions on his descendants, but also from God. Sin started when man shifted his focus to himself. Since then man has been self-centered by nature from birth, evidenced by how selfish babies can be, wanting everything for themselves and throwing a fit when they don't get it. When we accepted Christ His image in us was reborn, and now just like babies we have to know that the world doesn't revolve around us. We ought to renew our minds daily to get our focus off ourselves and set on God and others, as the Scriptures also instruct us not to look out only for our own interests, but those of others.
Self-centeredness is a prison as it shuts us out from others and shuts us in by ourselves. Though salvation set us free from sin and bondage, a believer can continue living in bondage which is why Jesus when speaking to His disciples (those who believed in Him) talked of them abiding in the truth and being set free (Jn. 8:31-33). You know you're in the self-centered prison if your prayers revolve around you, if when provision comes your way it's all for you, when you spend your day so focused on your needs and problems that you don't notice anyone else around you, when in your mind your gifts, abilities and talents are to help you make it in life etc. Immediately after telling us to not just look out for our own interests but also that of others, Paul said we should let the mind that was in Christ be in us, Who throughout His life on earth all the way to the cross and grave put our interests above His (Phil. 2:5-11).
Reflection:
What if all believers had fervent love for one another and put each other's interests above theirs, using our gifts to edify others (Rom. 12:10, 1 Pet. 4:-10)? What if we focused more on encouraging others rather than seeking to be encouraged, giving more than receiving, loving unconditionally more than being loved, putting a smile on someone's face more than getting someone to put one on us? How would the world look like if we all broke free from the prison of self-centeredness and walked around with the same mind that was and is in Christ?
Grace and peace to you!
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Blessings.