Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live. And unselfishness is letting other people's lives alone, not interfering with them. Selfishness always aims at creating around it an absolute uniformity of type. Unselfishness recognizes infinite variety of type as a delightful thing, accepts it, acquiesces in it, enjoys it. It is not selfish to think for oneself. A man who does not think for himself does not think at all. It is grossly selfish to... moreSelfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live. And unselfishness is letting other people's lives alone, not interfering with them. Selfishness always aims at creating around it an absolute uniformity of type. Unselfishness recognizes infinite variety of type as a delightful thing, accepts it, acquiesces in it, enjoys it. It is not selfish to think for oneself. A man who does not think for himself does not think at all. It is grossly selfish to require of one's neighbor that he should think in the same way, and hold the same opinions. Why should he? If he can think, he will probably think differently. If he cannot think, it is monstrous to require thought of any kind from him. A red rose is not selfish because it wants to be a red rose. It would be horribly selfish if it wanted all the other flowers in the garden to be both red and roses.
Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Bitterness creeps into your life almost without you knowing it. Unresolved anger or resentment leads to bitterness. Your bitterness becomes your lens of how you view life. So, how can you recognize bitterness and break free from it?
So, what’s the cure for bitterness? When you’re bitter, you think about others’ sins against you. You aren’t thinking about your sin against othe... moreGood day Templar family
Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Bitterness creeps into your life almost without you knowing it. Unresolved anger or resentment leads to bitterness. Your bitterness becomes your lens of how you view life. So, how can you recognize bitterness and break free from it?
So, what’s the cure for bitterness? When you’re bitter, you think about others’ sins against you. You aren’t thinking about your sin against other people. The only cure for breaking free from bitterness is forgiveness. First, ask God to forgive you for your sin, and second, forgive others for their sin against you.
And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5 (NLT)
It’s important to admit your own responsibility. Be willing to own your sin and ask forgiveness. Even in situations where others have hurt you though you may not have sinned, if you harbor anger and resentment, you can ask God to forgive you. Ask Him to help you forgive the one who sinned against you. It doesn’t mean God condones their actions, but forgiving them frees you so you can let go of bitterness and anger. You can rest assured that God knows the evil done to you.
Have a blessed Tuesday
God's blessings Soli Deo Gloria🇿🇦🇬🇪🇮🇱⚔️
The Lord is my Strength and my Shield;
in Him my heart trusts—Psalm 28:7
The Apostle Paul set a challenge before us: “having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25). No small thing, that one. We have such a hard time with transparency, with vulnerability. “I don’t know you that well.” “I have a hard time trusting other people.” “I don’t know everyone here.”
These, and objections like them, surface naturally in us ... moreGood day Templar family
The Lord is my Strength and my Shield;
in Him my heart trusts—Psalm 28:7
The Apostle Paul set a challenge before us: “having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25). No small thing, that one. We have such a hard time with transparency, with vulnerability. “I don’t know you that well.” “I have a hard time trusting other people.” “I don’t know everyone here.”
These, and objections like them, surface naturally in us facing the prospect of being transparent and vulnerable with others in the community. We’ve all said them, in some version or another. But this approach, of hesitating and waiting to open up, waiting to tell others what’s really going on, what we’re afraid of, what we’re struggling with - until we have complete trust in them, is foolish and based upon misplaced trust.
You see, we can trust no-one completely. All “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). So, waiting untill we completely trust means waiting for something that’ll never happen. We’re all broken and capable of wickedness, even toward those we love most. God, however . . . God is not. So, in Him and in Him only, should we put our trust (Psalm 118:8). He calls us to be transparent and vulnerable towards others, so we must be. Now, it might not always go well (at least from our perspectives); that’s okay. It’ll go well from God’s perspective—our obedience to Him always does. And He knows better than we do.
Next time you meet with another - or two or three - look around: which of them do you trust more than God? In that moment, tell yourself: “I trust God. So, I know what I must do” No more lies. No more pretending. No more posturing.
Have a blessed Monday and week ahead
God's blessings Soli Deo Gloria🇿🇦🇬🇪🇮🇱⚔️
For where two or three are gathered in my name,
there am I among them—Matthew 18:20
Imagine, for a moment, a man ever isolated, living alone in the mountains, perhaps. Imagine him living a vigorous, adventurous, spiritual life, but lacking community. The knowledge this man would have of God, the knowledge he’d have of himself, would be modest compared to the knowledge he’d have of both, were he to have full access to relationships, friendships, brotherhood.
For where two or three are gathered in my name,
there am I among them—Matthew 18:20
Imagine, for a moment, a man ever isolated, living alone in the mountains, perhaps. Imagine him living a vigorous, adventurous, spiritual life, but lacking community. The knowledge this man would have of God, the knowledge he’d have of himself, would be modest compared to the knowledge he’d have of both, were he to have full access to relationships, friendships, brotherhood.
You see, the isolated may know about God. But, no matter how much they might read and study, they cannot know God. That takes community. We get to know God by seeing His Holy Spirit moving in others. We encounter God, we experience him, we understand Him when He works through the love and sacrifice of other people. In brotherhood and sisterwood, we get to show God to one another. And, the more we’re in community with others, the deeper our understanding becomes.
The isolated may also know about themself—their talents, their likes, their dislikes. But, they cannot know themself. They cannot know the person God intends them to become. That too takes community. It takes others around them, who know their story, who spend time with them, who watch them, to discern and affirm and call forth things true and eternal in them, things God longs for to emerge. It takes brotherhood and sisterwood to call forth the true person.
Though we live in cities and towns, many of us are yet like the one isolated in the mountains. We know about God, but we don’t know Him. We know the person we’d like to be, but we don’t know the one He created us to be. This message, right now, is another call for brotherhood and sisterwood. It’s a call for you, to get into community with others. Find some brothers and sisters; find your place.
Have a blessed Thursday
God's blessings Soli Deo Gloria🇿🇦🇬🇪🇮🇱⚔️
