“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…”
–Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
In John 5:30 Jesus said, “I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge…” Jesus didn’t rely on Himself to live life. If anyone could rely on self, it would be Jesus, but Jesus only did what He saw the Father do and said what He heard the Father say. Jesus was showing us how to live selflessly, and we have that example of selflessness living inside of us!
What does selflessness look like? Selflessness is tightly knit with humility. Philippians 2:5-8 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Also in John 15:13 it says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” And what did Jesus do, again?
Oh yeah… He laid his life down! We just read it in Philippians! He completely ignored what He wanted to do, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the death of the cross. Think about this: He cared more about our lives, than his own life. You know what that means?
He esteemed (valued, honored) us more than He valued and honored Himself.
In Matthew 26:39 He prays, “O, Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will but as You will.” So you can see that His flesh absolutely did not want to go through with the cross. I mean, who would? But, He understood why He needed to, and He denied His flesh and submitted to God’s will.
We are to have this same mind as Christ did. We should follow in Christ’s example of denying ourselves of what we want, and how we think our lives should be, and submit ourselves to God. Is letting that guy (you know…that guy…) go before you in the lunch line as difficult as being crucified? It doesn’t compare! Take this with you no matter where you go in life: If Jesus did it, you can do it too.
Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to be able to do anything fun or anything we want to do. Trust me: God is the most fun you will ever experience in your life! Plus, the Bible says that He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). But we need to seek first the Kingdom of God, then all these things will be added unto us (Matt. 6:33).
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So in everything you do, don’t do it out of selfish motive or vain conceit, just looking to get some sort of gain out of it, but put God before yourself, submit to Him and purpose to build His kingdom. Then, out of that, you will position yourself to receive the blessing that the Lord has for you. God’s blessing is much greater than anything you can do for yourself. Today, I challenge you to prefer someone else’s ideas or desires over your own, just as Jesus preferred you over his own self. It will be a big blessing to them and to you.
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“Father, forgive me for the times in my life when I have been selfish. I pray that You would help me to recognize those areas in my life, and I thank You that You give me strength and grace to be selfless. As opportunities for me to prefer others before myself occur, You give me the grace to do it, because Your word says that You give grace to the humble. In Jesus’ name, amen.”