When I opened my bible to read it yesterday, it opened to this passage of scripture.
Matthew 7
King James Version (KJV)
7 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
I felt conviction and started praying, Lord Jesus, please help me to get that beam outta my eye!!! After praying for a while, the Lord led me to the Inland Lighthouse web site and to this message: Being Set Free From, "What's In It For Me". Following are a few notes from that message.
"When we arrive at the judgement seat of Jesus Christ, I fear, literally, that we are going to be appalled and were going to be amazed, and were going to be mortified, when we see how many times, and to what deep, great extent, the work of God has been, literally, crippled by misguided motives, hidden agendas, selfish ambitions of what can I get out of this, and what's it gonna mean to me, and what will my pay day be, if I do thus and so."
Pastor Larry Booker
Fallen man is a sad state of affairs.
Without the grace of God we're all just pitiful sinners.
There's a reason there is an alter and we have to crawl back to it and keep going and going.
God help me to do your will regardless, and not for what I can get out of it!
Until we can be set free from what's in it for me, I'm not really free.
He that the son has set free, is free indeed!
It's so easy to pick apart someone's motives and always read something into what they are doing, especially when we get convicted over our own selfishness.
Question:
What is the single thing that causes failure in the kingdom of God more than any other?
Answer by Rev. Carl Balistero
In every single one that bit the dust was A streak of selfishness, it was the common denominator.
Not being set free from what's in it for me.
Disappointment is most often caused by ego.
Jesus, Please set me free from what's in it for me!!!!
Have you ever noticed how many people that have started out this walk for the Lord with joy, that are now on the sidelines, bitter, hurt, miserable, angry, mad at everybody, mad at preachers, mad at God, mad at the church, mad at the saints, who are sour, bitter, and wretched? You know why? Because they did the will of God and never got their expected payday. They were in it for what was in it for them and not for the good of the kingdom of God. Their motives were selfish.
If you do it for God, you won't end up like that!
Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. kjv
2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, kjv
(men who's only guide in life is what they want for themselves, Phillips translation)
selfishness
self·ish
[sel-fish] adjective
1.
devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare,etc., regardless of others.
2.
characterized by or manifesting concern or care only for oneself: selfish motives.
Related forms
self·ish·ly, adverb.
self·ish·ness, noun.
Synonyms
1. self-interested, self-seeking, egoistic; illiberal, parsimonious, stingy.
1. self-interested, self-seeking, egoistic; illiberal, parsimonious, stingy.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/selfishness?s=t
noun
1.
excessive and objectionable reference to oneself in conversation or writing; conceit; boastfulness.
2.
Related forms
an·ti·e·go·tism, noun.
Synonyms
1. Egotism, egoism refer to preoccupation with one's ego or self. Egotism is the common word for obtrusive and excessive reference to and emphasis upon oneself and one's own importance: His egotism alienated all his friends. Egoism a less common word, is used especially in philosophy, ethics, or metaphysics, where it emphasizes the importance of or preoccupation with self in relation to other things: sufficient egoism to understand one's central place in the universe. See also pride.
1. Egotism, egoism refer to preoccupation with one's ego or self. Egotism is the common word for obtrusive and excessive reference to and emphasis upon oneself and one's own importance: His egotism alienated all his friends. Egoism a less common word, is used especially in philosophy, ethics, or metaphysics, where it emphasizes the importance of or preoccupation with self in relation to other things: sufficient egoism to understand one's central place in the universe. See also pride.
noun
1.
a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.
Synonyms
1. Pride, conceit, self-esteem, egotism, vanity, vainglory imply an unduly favorable idea of one's own appearance, advantages, achievements, etc., and often apply to offensive characteristics. Pride is a lofty and often arrogant assumption of superiority in some respect: Pride must have a fall. Conceit implies an exaggerated estimate of one's own abilities or attainments, together with pride: blinded by conceit. Self-esteem may imply an estimate of oneself that is higher than that held by others: a ridiculous self-esteem.Egotism implies an excessive preoccupation with oneself or with one's own concerns, usually but not always accompanied by pride or conceit: His egotism blinded him to others' difficulties. Vanity implies self-admiration and an excessive desire to be admired by others: His vanity was easily flattered. Vainglory somewhat literary, implies an inordinate and therefore empty or unjustified pride: puffed up by vainglory. 5.boast.
1. Pride, conceit, self-esteem, egotism, vanity, vainglory imply an unduly favorable idea of one's own appearance, advantages, achievements, etc., and often apply to offensive characteristics. Pride is a lofty and often arrogant assumption of superiority in some respect: Pride must have a fall. Conceit implies an exaggerated estimate of one's own abilities or attainments, together with pride: blinded by conceit. Self-esteem may imply an estimate of oneself that is higher than that held by others: a ridiculous self-esteem.Egotism implies an excessive preoccupation with oneself or with one's own concerns, usually but not always accompanied by pride or conceit: His egotism blinded him to others' difficulties. Vanity implies self-admiration and an excessive desire to be admired by others: His vanity was easily flattered. Vainglory somewhat literary, implies an inordinate and therefore empty or unjustified pride: puffed up by vainglory. 5.boast.
Antonyms
1. humility.
1. humility.
cupboard love
noun
Origin:
1750–60
1750–60
I find it very interesting that in the dictionary, one of the related words for selfishness is unchristian. I don't want my love for God and his kingdom to be a cupboard love. In fact cupboard love is not real love at all, it is only for show. Deceiving another for, "what's in it for me". Oh, God, please help me not to have cupboard love! Help all my love, for you, and my fellowman to be real, unselfish love!
Isaiah 58
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
King James Version (KJV)by Public Domain
Notes from a great message by Rev. Larry Booker & My study
Being Set Free From, "What's In It For Me?"
12/09/2007
http://www.inlandlighthouse.com/page.php?ID=360
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