Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also in the interests of others.  Philippians 2:3-4 ESV

If you want to be miserable, I mean really, really miserable, just focus on yourself.  Get a good me, me, me attitude and you should be really miserable in no time at all.  I know this  because I have been there.  I have focused on me and all that  is wrong in my life and I have watched it snowball into a big pile of misery.  James 3:16 tells us that where, “jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”

If you want to be happy and have peace in your life, help others.  God made us in His image.  Who could think  more of others than someone who would send his only son to earth to be tortured and crucified so that a bunch of sinners  like  you and me might have eternal life in glory?  We were made to be like God and I have noticed that when I strive to do just that, I live a much more peaceful, happy life.  However, when I serve myself and worry about me all the time, things get out of whack and before you know it I have a mess.

We can’t focus on God and focus on ourselves at the same time.  We have to pick one.  Now when we focus on God we want to be like God.  We want to follow His commandments and do the things that please Him.  In Mark 12:30-31, Jesus tells his disciples that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.  He tells them that there are no commandments greater than these.

These are the most important things for us to do while we do time here on planet earth, love God and love others.  Nowhere in the Bible does it say that you should love yourself and forsake God and others.

Now we all know this, right?  This isn’t some amazing breakthrough.  The Bible is very clear that we are to love God with all we have and that we are to love our neighbor.  There are many scripture passages on love and humility.  We know that God hates pride.  So why do we do it?  Well, I think many of us get hurt by life and we get into that  “looking out for #1” mentality.  We begin to feel that if we don’t look out for us, then no one will.  We struggle with walking by faith.  We don’t trust God to take care of things for us.  We become fearful of what will happen to us.  2 Timothy 1:7, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”  The problem is that we don’t utilize what God has given us when we focus on ourselves.  We only focus on what we can do and if we are honest with ourselves.  We can do nothing.  Philippians 4:13 tells us that ” we can do all things, through Christ, who strengthens us”.

If you want your life to be filled with chaos and turmoil then go ahead and focus on yourself and be just as self-centered as you want to be.  I know that this works because I have been there, done that, and got the t-shirt.

If you want a life of peace and joy, focus on God and help others.  Believe me, it works.  Don’t be afraid to let God handle your life.  Perhaps you have trusted God for something that you wanted and He didn’t come through.  Well, I promise you it was for a good reason.  You see God knows the future.  He knows what is best for us.  We may not always understand the why behind what God does, but I have learned that as long as I love Him and am doing the work He has called me to do, that He is working all things out for my good. (Romans 8:28).

Faith is hard.  It’s like walking on the edge of a cliff with a blindfold sometimes.  We don’t always see God working.  Sometimes it seems as though we are out there on our own, all alone.  But God is with us. If we draw near to Him, He draws near to us (James 4:8).  One of the hardest things we do as Christians is learning to walk.  You see, we walk differently than those that are in the world.  We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  This becomes much easier when we keep our focus on God.  If you were walking blindfolded on a cliff and you had someone you trusted walking with you and instructing you on where to step and not to step, I bet all your focus would be on that guide.  Well this is what every day should be like for us as Christians.  Every day we should have all of our focus on Christ.  Like Christ, we should be putting the needs of others ahead of our own.

You see even if you are selfish, you do better for yourself by focusing on God and loving your neighbor.  You hurt yourself with a me, me, me attitude.  So focus on God, do good to others and let God handle the rest.  You would just make a mess of it anyway.  Trust me, I know from experience.

Have a great day!