Endurance 04

The pitfall of self. Did you know that the Bible is full of time-tested advice about how to deal with life’s problems? It motivates the faithful toward self-awareness, self improvement, and it leads them to success. Did you know that the faithful tend to live longer and with a greater quality of health? But the Christian faith is neither a self-improvement program, nor a path to success and it is not a health plan. The fundamental difference between self-improvement programs, get rich scams and health enhancement programs lies in your motivation. If you are motivated by self-interest, self-promotion, self-enhancement… if what drives you is what you can get out of it, then you have missed the boat entirely. You are self-centered, maybe even proud. Christianity is not something that is self-motivated, but in fact it is self-sacrificing. It is just the opposite from what the world sells. Romans chapter 12 talks to us about being a “living sacrifice” for God. Jesus demonstrated this by washing the feet of his disciples, a task normally given to the lowest servant. He taught that those who desire to be first, come in last, but those who prefer to put others first, will be elevated to the seat of honor. When Jesus began his ministry, he started with a forty day fast. He was very hungry when he was done with this, and that is when He was tempted. The first thing he was tempted with, was to prove Himself the Son of God by turning stones into bread. Why would that have been wrong? You know, turning stone into bread is no more a sin by the law than was turning water into wine. But Jesus wouldn’t do it! Why? Could it be, because it would mean that he was using his power and authority, given to him by God, for selfish motives? He was the one who was hungry. He was the one who was being challenged. And no matter whether he did it to show his power, or to appease his hunger, to act as Satan suggested would have meant that He was doing it for himself, doing it selfishly. That would have been a sin. There is a message going around, that has missed this point. It is know as the “prosperity gospel” and it advises it’s followers to claim wealth and prosperity for themselves though the power of Jesus name. There is truth behind the message, but the fundamental point that they miss is that Jesus didn’t die on the cross to become your personal genie and wish fulfiller! In fact, God’s program is more like this: Jesus did the job you couldn’t do, he fulfilled the Law, so that we could do for him the thing that He could not do, populate the Kingdom of Heaven. It is accomplished through an exchange of lives. I give him my life and in return he gives me his. When you consider that my life is wretched, miserable and bound for eternal damnation, and that his is good, honorable, and bound for eternal glory, well this deal is a wonderful opportunity for me! But the key is, again, I have to lay down my life, my self-interest, my self-centeredness, and take up the cross that Jesus has for me to carry. If I never give up being the center of my life, I can never realize the life that Jesus has for me. The Christian has a lot of great and wonderful blessings to look forward to, but if your interest in the Christian Life because of what you will gain from it, you have already sabotaged yourself, and you will become disappointed and bitter. The Christian is not the center of his own world. He does not worship himself.