Verse of the Day - Philippians 2:3-4

Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing. ~ Philippians 2:3-4 (NLT)

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I saw a vanity license plate the other day, on a big four-wheeled truck that read, "N2RTOYS". At first, I didn't get it. N2RTOYS? N..2..R...ohhhhh...into our toys! There was nothing more on the vehicle, except a small sticker on the back window, a picture of an all-terrain vehicle with a caption that said, "Got dirt?" And I thought about what this license plate said about the owner. Into recreation and pleasure, BIG-TIME. All about the toys and how they make me happy. The term hedonism came to mind, a mindset or mentality (even a religion of sorts) of living life for personal pleasure that I learned years ago while studying church history. All about the fun. All about my fun.

Selfish living simply goes against the grain of God and His kingdom, doesn't it? Jesus was God in the flesh, and He was the personification--the epitome--of selflessness. He was God's Exhibit A...no other exhibits needed to show us how to live a godly life. And yet, we fight against this desire to serve ourselves, to think of ourselves first and only, to get what we want and to exalt ourselves as #1, stepping on other when necessary. It's a dog-eat-dog world, and we so often just growl and bark like the rest of the pack as we grapple for first position.

Only God can change us on the inside, so that we understand our position with Him and with our fellow human beings. Only He can help us understand what our role and purpose is in God's kingdom. Selflessness is radical to the unbelieving world. It's nonsense! Who thinks of others above themselves? Are you crazy?!? That'll never get you anywhere in this life! And they may be right. But for the believer in Jesus Christ, this life is not just horizontal...it's vertical. It's 4th dimension. It's out of this world.

So be radical. Ask God to turn your heart and mind upside down, and live a selfless life. God will use you in a mighty way to show the secular world what He really looks like...what He's really all about.

Love,
Joelene