The Bible proclaims that God is love. Love is the ultimate expression of giving. Giving is the exact opposite of selfishness. The Spirit of God calls every person to have the following priorities in life to experience “abundant life”. Our focus is to be on God first, others second, and self third. Sub level priorities like work, family, friends, and etcetera fall on the primary priority grid under “Others”. Work is important because it provides for others and self. Family and friends fall under the category of “others” and are important for “self” as well.
God First tells us that our need to build our relationship with our creator is of first importance. Your first step to making God first is to accept His free gift of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Once you have made this important decision God can develop a close relationship with you. Your relationship with God is built through personal prayer between you and God; and through getting to know God through His written Word, the Bible.
Second, God calls us to focus on others. God has an unconditional love for all people. It is not God that sends people to an eternity separated from Him (Hell). It is our sin that separates us from God. God wants us to love all people in the same way that he loves them. He wants us to care for them and tell them about is free gift of salvation. This includes our family, friends, and beyond.
Our self is also important to God, but God knows that if we fulfill the first two priorities of life we will fulfill all of our needs personally. God is also concerned with our wants and our desires. God wants us to pray about our wants and desires. We need to give our needs, wants, and desires to God. We must trust that God will give us what we need, want, and desire when the time is right. We must trust that God knows what is best for us. Be diligent in what God has called you to do including your work and relationships. God will provide for you.
The character of God is selflessness as demonstrated by Jesus while He was on the earth. The sinful nature of man that man possesses because of the Adam has a natural character of selfishness. Some may claim that God is selfish because He demands that we follow His laws. The fact is that God set the laws because the laws show us how to have abundant life on earth.
God requires Himself to follow the laws just as Jesus did on earth. It is written that Jesus is perfect in every way and lived a perfect life while on earth. It is this very perfection that allowed Him to be our sacrifice, once and for all, for all our disobedience.
Selfishness is the direct character of Lucifer or satan himself. Lucifer wanted the throne of heaven for himself. Being a created angel, he had no right to such a position. Lucifer allowed selfishness to destroy him. Selfishness does the same work in our lives when we allow it to control our thoughts and actions. Selfishness destroys great relationships. Selfishness drives us to think only about ourselves and our own desires.
When we must stomp someone else to gain what we want selfishness is destructive and simply evil. Selfishness always produces anger and hate when we cannot manipulate a person or situation to gain what we want. This hate produces destructive actions that usually lead to the death of a relationship if unchecked by humility and forgiveness.
If you are angered because you cannot receive what you want when you want, you are allowing selfishness to control you at that moment. We must learn to recognize our motives and adjust our emotions before our emotions escalate into anger and rage.
For example, if you created your situation by leaving late to an appointment and you find yourself behind a slow driver, God may not direct the slow driver in a new direction to allow you to speed to your appointment. First, God may be protecting you from an accident ahead, and second, God may be teaching you to leave on time by allowing you to suffer the consequences. How many times has a situation like this produced anger in us?
If you cannot change the situation, you must turn your situation over to God by a quick prayer in the very moment. Stand back and allow God to work on your behalf. If the situation does not turn the way you want, you must accept that God knows best and His purpose is more important than your purpose.
Selfishness will try to control us in our weak moments. We must recognize that all anger from selfishness is wrong and destructive. Be quick to recognize your selfishness. When you cannot get what you need from someone when you need it, stop, and take the time to ask that person what situation may be causing the delay. You might be surprised what you find. Most times the person is not intentionally trying to make you angry.
Any time you are controlled by selfishness you are sinning against God and others. Be thankful and fight self-pity. Give your hurts to God and let God heal you. God understands . . . remember Jesus.