Self - Less Living

I am preparing for the next sermon series on Romans at church.  In my preparation reading I found some interesting comments by John MacArthur that I thought worthy for reflection.  He writes,

The ultimate goal in many lives today is little more than perpetual self- satisfaction. Every object, every idea, every circumstance, and every person is viewed in light of what it can contribute to one's own purposes and welfare. Lust for wealth, possessions, fame, dominance, popularity, and physical fulfillment drives people to pervert everything they possess and everyone they know. Employment has become nothing more than a necessary evil to finance one's indulgences. As is often noted, there is constant danger of loving things and using people rather than loving people and using things. When that temptation is succumbed to, stable and faithful personal relationships become impossible. A person engulfed in self- will and self- fulfillment becomes less and less capable of loving, because as his desire to possess grows, his desire to give withers. And when he forfeits selflessness for selfishness, he forfeits the source of true joy.

Selfish greed progressively alienates a person from everyone else, including those who are closest and dearest. The end result is loneliness and despair. Everything that is craved soon yields to the law of diminishing returns, and the more one has of it the less it satisfies.

Reading this made me think about the number of people in churches today who seek only what can lead to their own satisfaction.  This is nothing more than a modern day idolatry.  How the Lord desires for us to serve Him and others at the core of our hearts and with the fruits of our lives. 

A few weeks ago I challenged that church should not be about "what I can get," nor should it be about "what I can give," instead it should be about "what others can gain."  The others to whom I am referring are two audiences.  The first audience is the Lord, for He gains our worship and adoration.  The second audience is the world around us, whether that be our church community or the community in which we live and work.  This fulfills the two greatest commandments.  Love the Lord your God and Love your Neighbor as Yourself. 

Selfishness will only prohibit the best worship and service from happening.  There is a return when we get this right and it is directed at ourselves, it is joy.  This joy is truly bound in our relationship with Jesus as we steward the grace we have discovered in Him.  MacArthur concludes that there is a law of diminishing returns when we crave the wrong thing. So the question for every one of us is: By what are you satisfied?

Accountability

I am still working through Hioliness by Grace, by Bryan Chapell.  He was talking about mercy in the chapter I am in, and interjected a unique experience that reminded me of the values of relationships in the church, especially personal relationships that may know the intimate details of our lives.

He writes (referring to a conversation he had with another pastor), "He said he had discovered that his own walk with the Lord could be charted according to his level of accountability to other Christians. He said, “I have discovered in the Christian life that you are moving either toward or away from accountability.” Very few healthy things in the Christian life happen in secret. If you cannot or will not tell your spouse, your peers, or your superiors about something, then accountability falters. Our immersion in and integrity with these patterns of Christian association and accountability are ordinary means by which we grow in godliness."

When I read this, I am certainly reminded of the ebbs and flows in my own life in relationship with Christ.  The moments that I seem to have the greatest level of intimacy with him are certainly identified when I am at my most transparent moments, vulnerable, and honest with others in my life.

For over a year now I have been working hard to maintain an accountability relationship with a mentor of mine from my early days of becoming a follower of Jesus by grace through faith.  This friendship provides encouragement, stability, strength, and helps to prevent me from wandering away from the Lord into sin.  Between my friend, my wife, and my attempts to be transparent with my fellow elders (other peers) I a convinced the flow is in the greater, growing level of intimacy with Jesus.  These are the people who have spurred me on to a better relationship with Jesus.  I am more inclined to wrestle against my flesh, more resolved to battle every day, and intentional in my efforts for sacrificial living.

I trust that you wil consider your own life, specifically whether you are moving toward or away from accountability.  I hope that you will make any necessary steps to instill accountability in your life to afford the means to grow in godliness.