Love Is Not Selfish
Scripture Reading - 1 Corinthians 13:5 Good News Bible (GNB)
Love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs;
We are studying Thee Person of Love which is God Himself. We are learning that certain attributes of God need to be present in His Children so that we can accurately represent Jesus Christ the Blessed Son of God. We have also learned that certain negative behaviors are not a part of God’s Nature nor are a part of God’s Plan for man. In our last lesson we spoke of God not being “ill-mannered” or “acting inappropriately” and another thing God is not is “Selfish”. Yes, we can thank God for not being “selfish” because even without a lot of explanation most people have an idea of what “selfish people” are about and it’s not pretty. Yes, “selfish” people can be quite the load to carry. We (ihlcc) do mean carry because working with “selfish” people means they are going to want things their own way. The “selfish” employee is not interested in the welfare of the team but ponders how the team members may help him or her. “Selfish” people will even pick off team members to get the ones that are on their side (those that support the selfish one’s ideas) even if this means dividing the team. Indeed the “selfish” family member always takes from others without equally giving back in return. The worst case is when you are involved with a “selfish” mate because there is no way to avoid a partner. Typically, that is our (ihlcc) first recommendation to avoid much contact because we are instructed in the Holy Bible to seek peace (1 Peter 3:11). We can choose to avoid “selfish” people simply because they can be a drag on your peace and patience. “Selfish people” don’t even consider those around them so it is almost impossible for them to walk in love with their neighbor. Remember the Love of God puts others first as recorded in Philippians 2:4 KJV with the statement, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” This statement is the heart of Love yes indeed it is God’s Heart. Notice that the verse didn’t say to only look on the needs (things, purposes, positions, etc…) of others but rather to carefully consider the heart of other people around you before you insert your will (your desire, your purpose, your way). This is not common at all in today’s society because the world system is full of “selfishness”. Remember in society today the unsaved believe it is all about personal success, recognition and gain. The number one theme people follow is how do I get ahead. When they are using the term get a head it is specifically speaking about getting ahead of you and other people. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of interest in how do I help other people to be a better person. No that is reserved to the more charitable organizations. Yes, some people will acknowledge that these principles of helping others are good and noble but they surely are not regarded as vital to those in the world system. For example, is a stay at home mother praised for trying to be there for her children whenever they might need her? No, she is only thought of as an underachiever who could be doing more. Does the godly man who leaves work on time to spend sufficient time with this wife and kids get high esteem at the office? No, the worker who seems to always work more hours typically gets more recognition as the harder worker. Being “selfless” is a rare quality indeed and we would venture to say that only those with a real heart for God can walk in that higher level of love. The picture we have of living a “selfless” life is, of course, Jesus Christ. We notice in the life of Jesus that He (as a man anointed to serve God) was always going about doing good to others. It seemed as if the Lord Jesus Christ our blessed example and champion was either doing one of two things. He was either blessing people by trying to help them see more light (draw closer to our Heavenly Father) or He was spending time with His Heavenly Father. Jesus loved God first and foremost and then He transferred this Love of God (Agape) to us (all His disciples). We must not ever forget that Jesus came to this earth just to help us and all mankind. For this purpose was the Son of God manifest that He might destroy the works of the devil.-1 John 3:8 We were all captives of sin and doomed to a horrible fate in hell but Jesus our Lord, our Champion, our Blessed Savoir, rescued us from the clutches of death and hell. We see that it was only because Jesus was “selfless” that He died our death. He came to save us, therefore He was first born so that we could be re-born and not only are we made new but He took our place in hell so we could take His place in Heaven. Is that not being “selfless”? Is loving people so much that you would die for them, not being “selfless”? We say there is no “selfishness” in God and Jesus proves this truth. Yes, the lifestyle that Jesus lived is our forever example of what we should strive to duplicate. We must consider others and ask ourselves the heart felt question, “What am I willing do to for the sake of someone I love?” Yes, we must be willing to dig deep within ourselves to answer according to the Word of God by saying, “I am willing and open to put my neighbor’s desire over mine as long as it is in line with the Holy Word of God”. We must be willing to operate in a higher level of love by placing the desires, concerns and convictions of other people over our own when it comes to working with them (the other people). We are not to be slaves to men but rather we are to prayerfully consider God’s Ways and imitate Him, Jesus was not pushy and forceful when it came to His Will. The Lord allowed people to be themselves and loved them in spite of their immaturity and sins. This basically means that if we can go along with the other person’s will without violating God’s Word or our personal convictions we do it as onto the Lord. We don’t do good deeds as a burden to carry (religious duty) but rather we do these good deeds solely because we know it will bless the other person to keep peace between us and them because we choose to walk in love by being “selfless”. In summary please attempt to remove “selfishness” from your heart because when you really crucify yourself you find love freely flows out to bless all those around you in Jesus Name. Amen!