Articles
It's All About Me
It’s All About Me
"It's all about me." I would see that saying on a car tag frame nearly every day. Is that really the message we need? Aren't we self-centered enough, as it is? Truly, the man who lives only for himself runs a very small business. What a bankrupt business it is, at that.
According to the Bible, it is hardly about the individual at all. In fact, the Lord makes a strong point of it to call our attention to others. Paul says, "Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2:4). "Selfish ambition" is condemned in Scripture (Philippians 1:17; Galatians 5:20). In fact, James says, "For where envying and strife (literally, "selfish ambition") is, there is confusion and every evil work" (James 3:17).
That is both provable and measurable. Abortion is a horrid, evil practice-the most literal way one could shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17). What is at the heart of the commission of every such abomination-whether one pleads inconvenience or hardship or any other reason given? Self-interest is. Selfishness is putting self above others, in this case taking another human life to protect selfish interest.
Adultery is a contemptible crime, ripping families apart and giving what may be the most intimate heartbreak a human is capable of experiencing. What compels someone to lie to God and others (breaking vows and covering indiscretions)? What drives one to fill physical and emotional wants in ways that fly in the face of God's written will? Selfishness does! For that matter, selfishness drives every sexual sin, every departure from God's design and structure for sexual needs and fulfillment.
Every New Testament writer roundly renounces false teaching. Untold millions of people will lose their souls because of false doctrine. Hell will be populated with followers of false teachers (Matthew 7:21-23) and the teachers themselves (James 3:1). The New Testament gives insight into some common motivations that drive men and women to teach false doctrine. The motives are often selfish. Jude says of them, "Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah" (Jude 11). What is the problem? Unmixed, shameless selfishness.
I will never make it to heaven if my attitude is that "it's all about me." It is not all about me. It is all about Him. It is about Jesus-serving Him, obeying Him, and imitating Him. It is about the lost-loving them, teaching them, and winning them. It is about the church-helping it, strengthening it, and supporting it. Selfishness is unattractive, but common. Remember, the one who lives for self alone usually dies the same way.
--Borrowed
