Love Is Not Self-Seeking

Post date: Jun 28, 2017 9:53:49 PM

...one of the world's greatest tragedies is that we allow our hearts to shrink until there is room in them for little besides ourselves.

A.W. Tozer

Self-Improvement. Self-Governing. Self-Absorbed. Self-Advancement. Self-Awareness. There are over 2,000 words in the English language that begin with the word self. I know. I was pretty surprised at this figure, too. Before going any further, I’d like to make sure I point out that by no means are all the words that begin with the word self negative. Not by a long shot. However, our obsession with “self” over others is very real and brings about quite negative outcomes.

In Philippians 2:3-5, Paul encourages us with the following words: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” If I’m being completely honest, when I’m reading this in church on my YouVersion app or in my printed bible (for those of us who are a bit more on the traditional side), the implications behind this verse and the actions it requires are all very beautiful. Aspirational. Captivating, even. Yet, when I have to take this same admonition of selfless living and placing others’ interests before my own and place it against the backdrop of our culture, my relationships and my sometimes-complicated life, it changes from aspirational to downright antithetical. Unattainable. Ridiculous, even.

Everything within my natural “self” pushes me to seek my own satisfaction, my own preservation, my own safety, my own desires--often at the expense of others. Yet, our great God in His grace and extravagant love shows us a better way through the life of Jesus. One of the things I personally cherish about the way Christ lived is that he came to meet us where we were. He demonstrated a love and a way of life that was not self-abusive, but unconcerned about self-gain and confidently focused on others. I would like to assert that the underpinning of a life that is focused on others in a healthy way that glorifies God is an awareness of our worth in God’s eyes and how much He loves us. Jesus was never at odds with His identity as God’s son and His value as such. It was from this place of being securely connected to His Father and His love that Jesus was able to give of Himself so freely and selflessly.

With this in mind, let’s begin our daily journey this month of loving others unselfishly. We can do this by becoming more and more aware of God’s own selfless love for us. Let’s make His extravagant grace and tender regard for us the anchor to which our lives are tethered. Let’s also allow His love to guide our interactions and decisions--to be the lens through which we see and interpret the situations we encounter. It is from this place that we’ll be empowered to confidently look to the interests and needs of others beyond our own.