Based on Philippians 1:21 – 2:11 (New King James Version)
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again. Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me. Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
One of the most promoted messages by the world today is selfishness. Practically everything in the world now tries to inculcate this mindset that a person should just look to make themselves happy, and that they should put their goals, their desires, and why not, even their pleasures before everyone else. We live during an era that selfishness is taught and glorified. And this is what the devil is trying to establish quickly today, so that the world can unanimously tell God in the near future that, “Our will be done and not yours.”
And how can I say that this wave of selfishness is diabolical? Very simple, because the entire Bible, the Word of God, is against selfishness. Every precept in the Scriptures, and of course, God’s intensions are against selfishness. If we see clearly today’s passage, we will see that the main theme is about thinking and even sacrificing oneself for others. Everything is about God and about the neighbor’s welfare. And this should not be surprising because all of the law and the prophets, the perfect will of God, is that we love Him, and that we love our neighbor, as it is written: “Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’” Mark 12:29-31. There is no kind of selfishness message here, about fulfilling our carnal will. And this same order is what the devil is trying to destroy by any means necessary, to try to undo what God commands so that his plan can come to fruition; that if it were possible, to be like God. The devil envies God, and he desires to have what God has, and to do as he wishes. This was and will always be the devil’s goal: “For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14:13-14. The devil is in direct competition against God. He is God’s opposite, and so, whatever God establishes, he wants to undo. Whatever God creates, he looks to destroy. If God says something, he wants to instill doubt, just as he did with Adam and Eve in paradise: “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Genesis 3:1-5. Welcome to today’s world! The devil is working in such a way today that even human beings are doubting their very own nature, and the world applauds and even says that you should be proud of being something different to how you were created. And he promotes all of this on the basis of selfishness, by looking for your own happiness. But the Word teaches this: “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” Romans 14:7-8.
Now then, anyone might ask, “Why is it wrong to look for my happiness? Why can’t I just do whatever I want?” And the problem is that just like everything the devil promotes, that a person instinctively looks for their own harm. By looking to fulfill your own will primarily, and not look to do God’s will, you are determining your own path to death. This is a fact: God is life, and the devil and sin are the way to death, for it is written: “For the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23a. So then, everything that supports sin leads straight to death. The Word says this also: “For I have come to ‘seta man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:35-39. Is the will of God truly to cause division? No. Division is caused when people are focused in looking for sin. And for our own good, to be able to find life, we must follow life, we must follow God, no matter what happens here and now. Looking for sin, in pleasure, in vanity, and in self-pleasing, even though it feels good for a moment, will only take you to emptiness and perdition. This whole world and everything in it will pass, and we will all need to give an account before a Holy God, the One who is an example of not being selfish, but rather, the One who considered more a fallen humanity that has sinned against Him willfully. Blessed be God the Father that He did not even hold back giving His Only Begotten Son so that we could have eternal life! So then, will you choose to do your will for your own perdition, or will you look to do the Father’s will Who desires to give you eternal life? Lord bless! John