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Selfishness | Marisa Tomlinson
S~ They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. Jude 1:18-19 (NLT)
O/A~ There are people whose only purpose in life is to satisfy themselves. All of us have come into contact with someone like this. They’re the people that will do anything to get ahead. They’re the people that are rude to service workers. They’re the ones that do what “feels good” all the time. According to the neoclassical theory of economics popular in the 80s, “all humans can be motivated into doing anything as long as there is an economic incentive for it. In fact, no one does or should look out for the good of the collective — corporations should worry only for their shareholders and not for their workers or their customers, for example. Individuals should think only about their own bottom line. It’s all that matters to them really, anyway — the me, here, and now.” The 80s may have been the height of selfishness in the US, but the sin of self-indulgence is definitely not new. I think all people struggle with selfishness. It’s easy to get led to do what feels good by those around us. If you’re like me, I do just fine on my own. I eat more than I should, neglect my Bible, and am short tempered with my kids and fiancé more often than I’d like to admit. The difference between the “scoffers” and us is that we have the Holy Spirit to gently guide and/or remind us when we start wanting to “satisfy our ungodly desires.” If I can just tune in and actually listen to His leading I’d do so much better. Connecting with the spirit requires faith. I cannot hear Him without it. I cannot control myself and be controlled by the Holy Spirit at the same time. Christ cannot be in control if I am. So I must abdicate. In prayer, I surrender my life to Him, and by faith I draw upon His resources to live a holy and fruitful life.
P~ Lord, thank you for the gift of leading. Help me to strengthen my faith and learn to listen. Thank you for the grace that you offer new every morning. I am so grateful that you chose me to be your child. Please forgive me when I don’t act like I am. amen
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