Unselfish

As I was thinking of my nephew, Aundre, today tears came to my eyes and I thought of all those who've lost love ones and how they must feel. My heart went out to them. I am happy for my nephew because he is with the Lord, but for those left behind we miss him.

My thoughts then travelled to our lives. Who will miss us if we were suddenly taken from this earth? What kind of impact are we making? Will they just miss our presence, our love, the good times or will they think about how our lives changed theirs? We have one life to live. We ought to live it wisely.

Then I pondered the purpose of life, for how can we live life wisely if we don't know the purpose? My Bible tells me that we were created to worship God and to glorify His name. It is in doing so that we find love, for God is love. It is in worshiping the Lord and getting into His presence that we find purpose and joy. It is in Him that we live and breathe and have our being. It is in Him that we live free from fear, free from bondage, free from jealousy and hatred. It is as we worship Him and learn to dwell daily in His presence that we find true life and life more abundantly. Therefore, to live wisely is to learn to worship and glorify God.

The example of the nation of Israel throughout the Old Testament (the old covenant) is an example of what happened when you worshipped God and when you didn't. For repeatedly it is mentioned in the New Testament (the new covenant) that what happened to the Israelites happened to them as examples to the nations and to us. Jesus, who established the new covenant, is the ultimate example of how to worship God today.

Jesus' example was one of obedience and service. He was a living sacrifice and the final sacrifice of atonement for our sins - once and for all. His "unselfish" and obedient act of love paid for our sins and redeemed us so that we can once again become all that God intended for us to be. We can now truly become the "sons and daughters" of God.

Philippians 2:1-11(NIV) gives an incredible depiction of the story of Christ and God's expectation of us and I'd like to share it with you. (All italics and coloring are not part of the original text.)

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,
if any comfort from his love,
if any fellowship with the Spirit,
if any tenderness and compassion,
then make my joy complete by being like-minded,
having the same love,
being one in spirit and purpose.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,
but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Each of you should not look only to your own interests,
but also to the interests of others."


"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death-
even death on a cross!"


"Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every other name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."

That's it ladies and gentlemen. That's it in a nutshell. Jesus' example of love and life, was one of obedience to the Father and loving sacrifice. As a result, he's changed the entire course of man and history and he wants to continue to do so through us. How are you living? What will be said of your life? Life (in Christ) and love is unselfish. Become a living sacrifice.