Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
We Are God’s Coworkers: Redemption Agents
Matthew 5:13-16 The Message
Salt and Light
13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
We are the salt of the earth …
We are the salt seasoning the earth …
Unseasoned food tends to taste rather bland, and even unpalatable too.
An unseasoned earth tastes like ____________ (fill in the blank)
Today’s verse is simple: you and I are like salt crystals that God sprinkles into a fallen world. When Jesus spoke these words, salt was used as a preservative to keep meat from spoiling. Salt was also used in Jewish religious ceremonies to remind Israel that God had made a commitment to preserve his fallen world.
Jesus was saying to the gathered crowd that we are each the means God is using to make good taste, to preserve this broken world. You and I have opportunities to labor, work as God’s agents of redemption, keeping this world from spoiling.
We know that God works through our work to accomplish his purposes.
In many ways our daily work is like salt in an unseasoned world.
I had a friend who was a mechanic working for the state government. He said that it can be difficult to work and serve among people who did not share his worldview. Yet he saw his labor, his work as a calling to bring Jesus’ voice of commitment, service, grace and truth into his arena of state government.
You may work in this way too. Perhaps you are a social worker or a family therapist. Some of us work as addiction counselors or in the prison system or in the school systems, maybe you are a customer service representative in a drug store, or a super market, a Home Depot or Lowes or Target or in a busy bank.
These can be dark, unpredictable places where the effects of sin are painfully obvious when customers get frustrated and screaming dramatically angry at staff. Yet God is the God of redemption, and Jesus, the one who accomplished the supreme work of redemption, continues to work through us, his salt.
A Christian auto mechanic once told me, “People come to me for car repairs, but sometimes they’re really looking for &lsquopeople repair.’ My business is more than cars.”
Somehow, somewhere, God, by His authority, in his sovereignty arranges things “even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30).
So it’s entirely possible that what we see as drudgery “just our daily work” may in truth include some carefully planned times, behind the scenes arranging, by God thru which he aims to bless people, call them to a relationship with him.
Many Christians miss significant opportunities when they can tell stories of how they have been able to serve God in their work—not only by acting with integrity but also by telling how God has richly blessed them in their lives.
The New Testament gives us many windows into the work-a-day world of believers. Peter James and John were fisherman, Matthew was a tax collector and Luke was a doctor, Martha a homemaker, Paul is a tentmaker, and Lydia a cloth dealer. Jesus himself worked in construction alongside of his father.
Many of his parables drew from people’s experiences at home and work. The kingdom of God is not only good news for all parts of life but also through them.
Matthew 10:38-42 The Message
38-39 “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.
40-42 “We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”
Where has God placed you to labor for Him?
Where is God trying to place you to labor for Him?
You have been given talents so that his blessing can abound through you!
Even one single bottle of water randomly, kindly, gracefully, handed out!
There are many things you can seek to live for in life.
You can live for a lot of things.
You can live for your physical appearance.
You can live for a successful career.
You can live for pleasure.
But here is what Jesus said: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33).
How can you honor God and tell others about him in your everyday work?
In the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Lord, thank you for your resolve to redeem the world you made. We praise you for continuing to bring your redemptive mercy; help us live and work as your preserving life in this world. Sovereign God, let me pursue, see and seek your kingdom and thy righteousness in every part of my life. Give me my share of wisdom to know when and how I can be a blessing in the places you have put me. For your glory, Amen.
Psalm 18:20-24 The Message
20-24 God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start. Now I’m alert to God’s ways; I don’t take God for granted. Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I’m watching my step. God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
7 Now Jesus began telling a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been selecting the places of honor at the table, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down [to eat] at the place of honor, since a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by the host, 9 and he who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place,’ and then, in disgrace you proceed to take the last place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down [to eat] at the last place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; and then you will be honored in the presence of all who are at the table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled [before others], and he who habitually humbles himself (keeps a realistic self-view) will be exalted.”
12 Jesus also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or wealthy neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. 13 But when you give a banquet or a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind, 14 and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the [a]righteous (the just, the upright).”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Parable of the Honored Ambitious Guests …
The guests and host of a banquet met Jesus.
At the banquet, the guests tried to sit in seats of honor, near the place where the host would sit.
This was common in that society, which cared about honor for people who were respectable and had status in the community.
It was also common to invite people over who would invite you back, because you could then benefit socially from attending another dinner party hosted by someone else.
But Jesus introduced a different kind of world by what he said to the guests and the host.
He told them to sit in the least honorable seats, and to invite guests who were too poor to return the invitation.
In this way Jesus revealed a way of life in which status doesn’t matter, and in which shame and honor are erased.
Jesus revealed this way of life in his teachings, and he made this way of life possible by becoming the most despised outsider of all.
He died on a cross and bore the worst of all rejections in order to make God’s kingdom a reality in our world.
God’s kingdom is the only place where the only status that matters is that we are “loved by God.”
God’s kingdom is a gift that Jesus Christ gives to us.
Jesus Teaches About Ambition, Humility, Service
Ambition can be a powerful ally or a destructive enemy.
If your ambition is misplaced and fueled by shallow wants and superficial desires, you will find yourself perpetually dissatisfied, ultimately discontent.
The Bible talks about that type of ambition in Matthew 6:24, warning against greed and the insatiable desire to earn more money than you could ever spend.
If wealth and riches and status are your ambition, you will never be satisfied.
There is nothing wrong with ambition or about being ambitious ….
There is nothing wrong with Christian or with a Christian being ambitious.
There’s nothing wrong with making money, but you have to own the money; you can’t let it own you – love of money is not supposed to be our ambition.
You and I have to have a more sacred purpose that’s greater than money.
The money will come to you through hard work and God’s blessing.
Your greater purpose should be what your ambitions push you towards.
Matthew 6:33 affirms this by giving us the insight that God knows our desires.
God knows what fuels us, and if we aren’t scheming and plotting to send someone to ruination, He wants to bless us with the things that we seek.
Jesus advises that if you and I seek firstthe Kingdom of God then He will give you and I everything that you and I need, and more.
Humility and service are just two of the other values that Jesus not only taught but exemplified during His earthly ministry.
On so many occasions in the Bible, we read Jesus teaching His disciples to always consider others before themselves. Jesus repeatedly emphasized the importance of self-denial and service to others.
In Luke 14:7-14, Jesus used the occasion of a banquet to give insight into humility and service.
He addressed the guest regarding humility in verses 7 to 10, And in verses 12 to 14, He spoke to the host about serving others.
Luke 14:7-14The Message
Invite the Misfits
7-9 He went on to tell a story to the guests around the table. Noticing how each had tried to elbow into the place of honor, he said, “When someone invites you to dinner, don’t take the place of honor. Somebody more important than you might have been invited by the host. Then he’ll come and call out in front of everybody, ‘You’re in the wrong place. The place of honor belongs to this man.’ Embarrassed, you’ll have to make your way to the very last table, the only place left.
10-11 “When you’re invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, ‘Friend, come up to the front.’ That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! What I’m saying is, If you walk around all high and mighty, you’re going to end up flat on your face. But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”
12-14 Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.”
Be Ambitious and Humble Yourself and Be Exalted …
Jesus’ teaching is clear – do not think so highly of yourself that you always come expect the very best treatment at all times.
No matter who you think or believe or perceive yourself to be when you are in public or in society, remember that there’s always somebody higher than you.
Being ambitious might be good at times but certainly not on many occasions.
Imagine a famous big city mayor who went to a wedding banquet along with his bodyguards and servicemen.
Upon his arrival, the host was too busy attending to other guests so he could not personally welcome him.
Thinking he was the most highly regarded guest, the mayor naturally walked into the dining hall and sat, took the best seat and made himself comfortable.
When the host noticed his presence, he came and whispered to his ear that the seat he occupied is reserved for the governor.
At this very public event, the mayor had no choice but to get up so the governor could take his rightful seat.
With all of the media outlets present, and their cameras following his every move, what a huge embarrassment for the mayor knowing all eyes are on him.
Humility and the “Ambitious Famous” Christian
Humility is a fundamental grace in the Christian life, and yet it is elusive.
There may be times when we think we deserve VIP treatment because of who we are in the church or society.
We are the Pastor – therefore we are entitled to the very best parking space.
Head of Table: We were the chairperson for the building committee and we just carried out the most successful capital campaign in the history of the church.
The Matriarch and the Patriarch of the Church – Head of the Line meal tickets.
Or perhaps there have been times when we ourselves exhibited false humility.
Do you think you have this “I am all this, that and the other, ergo…” virtue?
Please allow me to say, “If you know you have it, you have already flaunted it!”
As someone rightly said, “Humility is not thinking meanly of ourselves; it is simply not thinking of ourselves at all.”
Jesus is the greatest example of humility, and we would do well to ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to more imitative of Him and significantly less of ourselves.
A True Act of Ambitious Charity …
The Lord Jesus also emphasized the importance of treating people equally regardless of their social and economic status.
Unfortunately, when we are the one’s who are hosting a banquet, we prefer to invite rich and powerful people – trying to increase our status and self esteem.
But Jesus told the host of the banquet that when he holds a feast, he should be extraordinarily radical and also invite the poor, the lame, and the blind.
Why should the host do what Jesus said?
It’s because these people won’t be able to repay him.
They could not invite him back because they couldn’t afford to host a banquet!
However, the host will raise his standard of living in the eyes of the community he is living, showing true compassion, receiving his reward at the resurrection.
The reality is that whenever we host a party, we just prefer to invite our friends, relatives, and the rich and famous.
We want to have people who can bring the very best, most expensive gifts or those who can invite us to their party in the future.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with inviting these people.
When Rabbi Jesus said, “Do not invite your friends, brothers, relatives, or rich neighbors,” He did not mean absolute prohibition.
Such language is common in Semitic discourse and is used for emphasis.
Jesus’ point here is that inviting one’s friends and relatives cannot be classified as a spiritual act of charity.
It may also be a rebuke against those prone to reserve their hospitality for rich neighbors.
They intentionally do this knowing that these guests will automatically feel obligated to return the favor.
And if they fail to automatically invite us back we take an automatically offense and as an excuse to discontinue the relationship – bear an everlasting grudge.
Greatness and Servanthood and Ambition …
Matthew 20:20-28Amplified Bible
Preferred Treatment Asked
20 Then [Salome] the [a]mother of Zebedee’s children [James and John] came up to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down [in respect], asked a favor of Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit [in positions of honor and authority] one on Your right and one on Your left.” 22 But Jesus replied, “You do not realize what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup [of suffering] that I am about to drink?” They answered, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink My cup [of suffering]; but to sit on My right and on My left this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”
24 And when the [other] ten heard this, they were resentful and angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles have absolute power and lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them [tyrannizing them]. 26 It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your [willing and humble] slave;28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many [paying the price to set them free from the penalty of sin].”
In Matthew 20:26-27, Jesus taught His disciples that greatness is parallel to servanthood.
Jesus said in response to the request of James and John’s mother for them to be given high places in God’s Kingdom.
In his reply, Jesus poignantly highlighted about being a “servant.”
The word here means a “slave” and our English word “deacon” comes from it.
Not every servant was a slave, but every slave was a servant.
The Lord was teaching His disciples that the style of greatness and leadership for believers is different.
The Gentile leaders dominate in a dictatorial fashion, using carnal power and authority.
Believers are to do the opposite.
They lead must by being servants and giving themselves away for others, as Jesus did.
Sadly, in the church today we have many “celebrities” but so very few servants.
There are many who want to “flaunt” their authority but few who want to take the towel and water filled basin and get on their knees and wash “dirty” feet.
But while there are people who are still willing to serve, it’s interesting to note that they also have their motives.
Some are sincerely serving only to glorify God but others serve for honor and place and recognition of their “ambitious,” “obviously superior spirituality.”
What’s your motive for serving God and others?
Some final reflections and ambitious thoughts …
In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul uses the example of Jesus’ humility and service to encourage believers to do the same.
He uses the word “selfishness” which is sometimes rendered “strife” because it refers to “us versus them versus everybody, anybody else” rivalry.
It speaks of the pride that prompts people to push for their own way.
And then Paul encourages the church to have humility of mind.
It was a term of derision with the idea of being low, shabby, and humble.
The basic definition of true humility is regarding others as more important than yourself.
Our motive for being humble and serving others must be the praise of God and not the applause of men.
We must care significantly more about our eternal reward in heaven and not the temporary “we cannot take it with us to the grave” pseudo recognition on earth.
Remember, “You can’t get your reward twice”(Matthew 6:1-8).
On the day of judgment, many who today are first in the eyes of men will be last in God’s eyes.
And many who are last in the eyes of men will be first in the eyes of God (Luke 13:30).
The story is told about a wise man who shunned publicity.
He would speak every once in a while and when he speaks everyone listens to him.
After speaking he would immediately hide away into his own private place.
There would be rare times that he granted interviews and when he does he would always point to God as the giver of whatever wisdom that he possesses.
Many of us may be tempted to own to ourselves the wisdom or material wealth that we presently have.
But we should not allow ourselves to be possessed by that temptation, for who are we to own to ourselves what we have?
We have to always remember that we are mere vessels of God, whatever we have comes from God.
In our gospel text, Jesus highlights the great virtue of humility.
Jesus tells us to always be humble and not to crave for attention and adulation.
Why?
For the simple reason that the more humbler we are the more that Jesus is seen both with us and within us and emanating outward into the world from us.
The humbler we are the more the we become His effective vessels in this world.
The humbler you are the more that you allow Jesus’ light to shine upon you.
The humbler you are the more that you allow Jesus’ light to shine out from you.
The more light which emanates from us, more the light of Savior Jesus shines.
Maybe in some part of the earth we still walk on, the light of His Salvation;
Overly Ambitious Thoughts and Overly Ambitious Christians
Matthew 5:13-16 Amplified Bible
Disciples and the World
13 “You are the [a]salt of the earth; but if the salt has [b]lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].
14 “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Do we walk/talk the kind of “shining” humility, our Savior now requires of us?
We walk/talk the kind of “shining” servanthood our Savior now requires of us?
I am pondering the imponderable possibilities if the answers are actually: YES!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Lord God, we are shocked and awed by the kind of kingdom Jesus has introduced—it seems upside down and backwards to us. Its simple wisdom is wonderfully radical to us, the possibilities which would come from actual practice are enormous. We thank you for the great love that your kingdom reveals when we allow it to shape our lives.
Hospitable God, you invite us to a banquetwhere the last may be first,wherethe humble and the mighty trade places. Let us share your abundance with no fear of scarcity;let us greet strangers as angels you have sent!Send your Holy Spirit nowso that we may find a place at your table and welcome others with radical hospitality.In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus, Guest at all our tables, we pray. Amen.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum!
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
It was defined as “a photo of yourself that you take, typically with a smartphone or webcam, and usually put on social media.”
Since then, we also got the word “Selfitis,” meaning “an obsessive-compulsive desire to take photos of oneself and post them on social media.”
June 21 is the national selfie day.
In 2022, the national selfie day happened on Tuesday. In 2023, the national selfie day will occur on Wednesday.
How many selfies do you think are taken in any given day?
How many selfies are taken a day?
According to Photutorial’s data, 92 million selfies will be taken daily across all devices in 2022. This number coincides with the fact that 2.3 billion photos are taken every day, 4% of which are selfies.
The Guiness Book of World Records currently recognizes the most self-portrait photographs (selfies) taken in three minutes as being 168 and was achieved by James Smith (USA) aboard the Carnival Dream cruise ship on 22 January 2018.
Our children are growing up in what has been dubbed “the selfie generation.”
Most photos kids take these days are of themselves.
The accessibility of digital cameras, the ease of taking self-portraits, and the rise of social media have all led to the popularity of “selfies,” the modern-day term for digital self-portraits.
Personally, I take my idea of “plenty” of selfies with the intention of sharing my life with my wife and our social media friends who are also people of faith.
When we take a selfie and post it, we let the world know what we are up to.
However, as many sociologists have noticed, the word selfie has taken on a meaning that goes far beyond the object of the camera lens. It’s not just in photos that children are often the focus — it can extend into their lives.
The selfie culture turns people’s focus onto themselves
— how they look, how many “likes” and “loves” and “hugs” they get on social media, what kind of clothing they wear, how much fun they all have, and so on.
However, what started out as a harmless, fun activity has now been linked to growing rates of depression — and certainly an increase in narcissism.
The great irony, of course, is focusing on ourselves doesn’t always equate to the idea “selfies make us happier; rather they can also serve to robs us of our joy.
Our worldview can become biased and divided, deeply prejudiced and skewed.
The challenge for parents today is teaching our children to take the focus off themselves and turn the camera around so they can see the diversity of others.
We need to teach ourselves and our children how to see the people around them.
First and foremost, this includes their friends, their siblings, their parents, and their teachers, those in the neighborhood with authority over them – the police.
But it extends beyond to the people they encounter in daily life: the bus driver, the janitor, the widow, the orphan, the homeless person on the street corner, people of all races and ethnicities, our world cultures and diverse nationalities.
Only when our children begin to see in others’ their God-Given intrinsic value and human ‘suffering’ can they begin to understand how they can help others.
When we take a selfie and post it, we let the world know what ‘joy’ we’re up to.
Whether we’ve just tried the new coffee shop on the corner, or decided to dye our hair red, the selfie shows who we are, what we are doing to the online world.
Selfies gives us a great view into the intensity of our “joyful” virtual existence.
However, “joyful virtual existences” are not the whole of God’s story in God’s neighborhood. His neighborhood is a good deal more “diverse,” and “ugly.”
The intensity of that “Virtual Reality of that “Selfie?”
The intensity of that diverse ugliness as put on full display …. indescribable!
The intensity of that diverse ugliness as put on full display … beyond impactful!
The intensity of that diverse ugliness as put on full display … highly dangerous!
Those are the “Selfies” we seldom see on social media – they are censored or come with the poignant warning – “may not be suitable for young audiences.”
I always had the thought “Selfies” are a lot like the Bible should be in our lives.
The Bible should be showing us who we are, what we ourselves are to be doing.
Consider taking this “Selfie” and spreading it all over social media ……
Matthew 5:13-16Amplified Bible
Disciples and the World
13 “You are the [a]salt of the earth; but if the salt has [b]lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].
14 “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
OK, how many of us get really excited when we see that media ad with a person holding up a bag of potato chips or a box of crackers, saying “reduced sodium”?
Well, probably not too many of us – potato chips are considered “junk food.”
Because salt is delicious.
Salt is needed for many essential functions within our bodies – being our hearts and their need to keep beating and us alive plus our muscles and our kidneys.
It’s why chips and crackers, French fries and pizza and many other things taste good. Salt exists to make food better. That is one of its God-given purposes.
In this passage Jesus says
we are “the salt of the earth” . . . and “the light and also “the critically essential internal balances which keeps our bodies working in God’s much necessary and healthy harmony and our hearts beating so we can remain alive” of the world.”
He doesn’t say we “can be” or “should be” these things.
He says we already are, by way of our new identity in him. Jesus expects us to bless people, to build them up, and to do what we can to help meet their needs.
He expects us to use our words and our actions to stick out in this unhealthy, unbalanced, biased, divided dark world, pointing people to the kingdom of God.
This isn’t limited to formal ministry in the church.
The ways we treat our spouses, talk to our coworkers, and use our resources or engage with social media are all examples of how we are called to be salt and light. Every single sphere of life presents us with salt and light opportunities.
If we walk in step with Christ, putting his desires ahead of our own, we are like a welcome seasoning, a source of critically needed, critically essential balance to enhance the taste of food, or like a beacon of light shining in this dark world.
WHAT SELFIES TEACH US ABOUT OURSELVES, OUR ENGAGING GOD’S WORD
The Bible shows us who we really are. If we need a self-esteem boost, the Bible shows us our great worth to God. (1 Cor 6:20)
If we are afraid, the Bible shows us that we are bold. (Proverbs 28:1)
If we feel we can’t make it, the Bible shows us we can. (Phil 4:13)
Just like a selfie, the Bible shows us who we are.
We are Selfless Servants of God – Selflessly Sent into God’s Neighborhood.
Mark 10:35-45 Amplified
35 James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36 And He replied to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit [with You], one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory [Your majesty and splendor in Your kingdom].” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism [of suffering and death] with which I am baptized?” 39 And they replied to Him, “We are able.” Jesus told them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on My right or left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared [by My Father].”
41 Hearing this, the [other] ten became indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their powerful men exercise authority over them [tyrannizing them]. 43 But this is not how it is among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first and most important among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to giveHis life as a [a]ransom for many.”
We might not do a very good job, or take that “quality selfie,” “separating our selfish selves, from our selfless selves” or by our “selfie we’re worth much, are bold, or we can make it, but our feelings don’t matter. What matters is what is true, and the truth is found in God’s word. God’s word shows us who we are.
Our best “selfie” both with and against God’s greatest “selfie” taken together with our engagement of God’s Word in His Neighborhood also shows us what we truly look like to ourselves against who we are serving, what we are doing and how well we are projecting ourselves, projecting our ‘selfies” plus God.
Reading the Bible can open your eyes to habits that you and I need to get rid of, or things in my life and your life that need to change. We should be constantly striving for “selfies” to be more like “selfies of God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit.”
So, when we take a “selfie” of an attitude or moral or an ethic in our life that doesn’t line up with the Bible, we truly need to address that habit or attitude.
A Selfless Call
The more we think of ourselves, the less we think of others, and the more self-centered we become.
Jesus tells us the GREATEST commandment is “Love the Lord our God, with all of thy heart, and with all of thy soul and all of thy mind.”(Matthew 22:37-38)
Jesus tells us that the second greatest commandment is to “love our neighbors as ourselves(Matthew 22:39).
Which means we “Love ourselves better, best, greatest – 100% LAST!”
Again, our default affection is for ourselves.
We love ourselves and care for our bodies by eating and sleeping. We rarely ignore our own needs. Jesus says to think of our neighbors with the same affection. We must care for them, give to them, and seek to meet their needs.
Paul, through the authority given to him by God, explains Jesus’ command further. Not only do we need to love our neighbors as ourselves, but we also need to value them more than ourselves. He says this in Philippians 2:3-4:
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to their own interests, but also to the interests of others.
A Selfless Savior
How do we get past such self-centered thinking and lifestyles as we see (or post) selfie after selfie on our screens each day?
The ongoing self-glorification on social media may not have directly caused you to stumble into the sin of selfishness today.
But the social acceptability of this self-worship feeds our tendency to make light of such sin in our world today.
When we feed our minds constantly with thoughts of ourselves, we easily disregard others, justify our own sin.
Paul continues in Philippians 2 with this:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (v.5-8)
To love our neighbors, think of them above ourselves as the Lord commands us to in Philippians 2:3-4, we must have the mind of Christ—a humble mind.
The way to fight the sin of selfishness is to ask God to renew our minds so that they become like Christ’s.
With “perfect joy,” in perfect selflessness, he regarded the greatest need of every human—forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God—and the will of his Father as infinitely more important than his own glory, even to the point of laying down his life for us at the cross (Hebrews 12:2).
Turn Your Camera Around
Hebrews 12:3 Amplified Bible
3 Just consider and meditate on Him who endured from sinners such bitter hostility against Himself [consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
We must turn the selfie lens away from our faces—away from our needs and wants—onto others, and onto Christ. We must not grow weary and lose heart, pray that he will humble us enough to care for our neighbors above ourselves.
When turn our cameras around, our “selfies” point of fixation changes, we will start using our resources differently by uniting, inviting others into our homes, giving more than we receive, helping others succeed, admiring others’ beauty, and doing more GOD activities for the sake of lost souls, not just lost “likes”.
Humility will never be our default attitude on our own, but it is Christ’s.
Hebrews 4:14-16Amplified Bible
14 Inasmuch then as we [believers] have a great High Priest who has [already ascended and] passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously to our absolute trust in Him as Savior]. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. 16 Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].
Let us discipline ourselves to study and ponder the Word of God muchly, keep running boldly to his throne of grace in our time of need and ask for help. We need help from the only one who is perfectly selfless, and he promises to give it.
So, the next time you raise a “selfie stick or two or three” snap a selfie or pick up your Bible let it be a reminder of how important the word of God is. God’s Word is living, powerful, can change our thoughts, actions if we let it. Challenge yourself today to go deeper into God’s word and let His words transform you.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Lord, as Your Children, we humbly pray that you would renew our selfhood as the People of God – we are not to be the remains of a goal-less club rather, the Body of Christ, the Church- the Bride of Christ, the King who is over all things.
Father God, through your power and through your people,
Let your kingdom come.
Help us to show the world the true “selfie” of your Church: by faithfulness to the Master; by love for him and his creations; by participating in his work of global mission and servant ministry giving flavor to the world, in his humility.
Father God, through your power and through your people,
Let your kingdom come.
We ask you to give us the privilege, through your grace, of regaining our role as renewers of our world, as the people who serve our neighbors, our community, heal our society, who improve our surroundings, who improve circumstances.
Father God, through your power and through your people, Let your kingdom come.
Give us the discipline to read and study and ponder your Word. Give us the power to obey your will for our lives, for each other, for others, in acceptance, that understanding comes by a spirit of obedience to you, and that the source of life is your salt and your light, your heartbeat, your blood which gives to us life.
Father God, through your power and through your people, Let your kingdom come.
Let us learn to make neighbors and how to love them. Let us expect great and miraculous things from you. Let us always learn; let us persevere through the process of extending and inheriting God’s kingdom; let us be called ‘repairers of the breach’ and ‘restorers of streets of our towns and cities to be lived in.’
Father God, through your power and through your people, Let your kingdom come.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 