Selfish Switch

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. James 3:16

Isn’t the switch too easy?

Usually a moment of pure insanity.

One moment we are living for God…

And the next minute we are focused again on ourselves.

One minute we are speaking life to others…

And before we realize it, we’ve refocused again completely on self.

James reminds us selfishness breeds disorder and every evil thing.

Yuck. Can you picture the ugliness we spread when focused on ourselves?

Ignoring others breeds rejection in their minds.

Always placing your needs first spreads the superiority message.

And that’s just scratching the surface.

What do you generally focus on as you go about your day?

With what lens do you see life?

Your own lens or God’s?

May we stop switching back to our own.

May we look through God’s lens to see what He sees.

And may we choose to focus on what He has for us today.

Come along and make the switch with me.

Photos by Bravingbird on Unsplash

 

Ugliness

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24

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We are so comfortable with our ugliness, aren’t we?

Our fleshly irritations.

Our selfish demands.

Our ‘higher than thou’ attitudes towards all else.

Our complaining when sacrificing.

Our responses when wronged.

Ugliness.

Does your ugliness repulse you?

When it rears it’s ugly head, do you embrace it?

Honestly, we usually do, don’t we.

We not only embrace it, but wear it proudly.

All boils down to flesh and sin.

Our flesh cries out selfishly.

But God wants us to respond differently.

It’s so hard, isn’t it?

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Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Those words from Paul in Galatians 5 remind us to put away our flesh.

To literally kill those fleshly desires that are ugly.

Impossible apart from God.

Literally.

When we purposely put down our ugly flesh, God will fill us with His Spirit.

You remember His fruit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Isn’t it so much better to reflect kindness than malice?

Gentleness instead of anger?

Love instead of hate?

Peace instead of war?

Folks, we can either react with the fruit of God or the flesh of ourselves.

One is lovely, the other is ugly.

Stop the next time you face an irritation.

Ask God to react through you.

Each time you do that, your ugliness will melt away.

I know, it’s not as fun as feeding your flesh.

But wouldn’t you rather please God than your sinful self?

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Photos by Cain, Korpa, Nohassi, Boer, & Gonzalez on Unsplash