Addicted to Myself

The title of this article may seem strange, but, in our most honest moments, I think that we would admit that it accurately describes us. The great majority of our thoughts are about us. Generally, we do what we want when we want to do it. We think in terms of “What will make me happy?” and see almost every situation through the lens that asks, “How will this affect me?” Most of us spend a lot of money, time and effort in order to keep ourselves feeling good about who we are and what we are doing.

To a "self-obsessed” world (which includes many Christians), Jesus has some very odd sounding things to say.

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:34-35).

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple… In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27 and 33).

“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” (Philippians 2:3-4).

“You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

The “cost” and the “cross” that Jesus speaks about in these passages, I believe, is our own “self-interest”. Jesus wants to be at the top of every list you have.

Now, let us be clear: These verses are not about “earning your salvation” (salvation is the free gift of God). These verses are about how you live as a Christian. If we are going to follow him, we have to learn to get ourselves out of the way.

Interestingly, happiness and fulfillment are not things to be aimed at. Rather, they are by-products of a life lived for God and others.

A Little is a Lot

This past weekend, I asked the congregation to name someone who had helped them in their spiritual walk. I also asked them to tell what that person did that made them so memorable.

One of the things that quickly became obvious is that you do not have to be a “Leader” to be a leader. In other words, you do not have to have a spotlight or an official position in the church to make a difference. In fact, of the approximately 20 people mentioned, only one of them was a preacher. Most of them were simply neighbours, friends or co-workers.

The second thing I noticed was that “little things” were big things. When people recalled what really helped them, they remembered things like kind words, encouragement, friendship and time spent together.

The answers that I received confirmed what I had already suspected. Too often, we make Christianity too hard. In our efforts to be useful servants of God, we impose rules and expectations that actually hinder our progress. People do not need you to know the entire Bible before you share the good news with them. What they need is a word of encouragement. People do not need an answer to every problem that they face. What they need is someone who has time to listen to them. You do not need a grand vision and plan for reaching the lost. What you need is a heart that cares about people.

Now, do not get me wrong, believing and knowing the proper things is vital. Without a knowledge of God’s word, we have nothing to offer anyone (Including ourselves). However, the crucial step is not the “knowing” part, but the “doing” part.

Philemon 7 says, “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints”.

When you show God’s love in the little things that you do, you can lighten someone’s load today and maybe even influence their eternity.

When God is involved, little things can make a big difference.