Selfishness. My continuing observations of the world around me centers on that one word. Yet, most of us deny that we are living a selfish lives. We have become desensitized by the things around us. Our society has worked incredibly hard to make us think that it’s not about us when really it is. My previous post talked about where our joy comes from. I’d like you to indulge me further on this.
There are people that are simply just miserable all the time. You may know some of these people. They are the ones who come home and never have a nice thing to say about their day. This person was doing that and this person was doing this. In my line of work, it could be “this kid is like this and this kid did that.” I’ve been guilty of this on occasion, but it’s becoming less and less frequent as I learn to seek my joy from Christ rather than the situations around me.
That’s where the title of this post comes into play. Have you noticed that every sin mentioned has to do with you? Before you take this as a personaly attack, let me explain. If we look at the Ten Commandments, we see that the first 4 Commandments deal with our relationship toward God. Only one God, no idols, the sabbath, etc, teach us that God is first, holy, and deserving of our love and honor. Right there, it takes the focus off of us and puts it where it should be. The last of the commandments give us direction that will guide us in that same light.
“Do not steal” is more than just about taking something that doesn’t belong to you. It is synonymous with “Do not covet” as you probably wouldn’t have stolen the item if you hadn’t been coveting it in the first place. This makes it about “you”, or, about “us” (which ironically is also spelled with a “u”). We begin to become jealous of the person who has this “thing” that we want and we are willing to do anything to get it. “Do not kill” and “do not lie” come into play here. Many will lie and cheat to get there way even if it hurts someone else or in extreme cases, kills. Our jealousy can even hurt people close to us when it comes to loyalty to our spouses.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ time spent a lot of time asking Jesus about why He wasn’t following specific rules. The Bible tells us that Jesus knew their hearts. I believe He knew that they were more focused on each individual law that the failed to miss the bigger picture. If we look at the commandments as a whole, we see that God’s perfect plan–God’s perfect order–has always been in play. We were designed to worship Him and center our lives around His plan and will for our lives. Thus, the Ten Commandments were not given just for a check list of things not to do, but rather a way to direct us away from an “us” centered life of sin into a righteous, free life in Him. It would seem to me however that many Christians to this day focus on the minor rules without looking at the big picture.
The whole idea of this is that we shouldn’t need the Ten Commandments at all. We should be seeking after Christ and so willing to become like Him that our self won’t get in the way. Is your day or circumstance ultimately about you? Are you living your day expecting those around your to conform to your way of thinking? Do you expect people to act a certain way only to be disappointed because it didn’t go the way you had planned? If you answered yes to any of these, then you are hoping in things that will never make you content.
How do we find true contentment? We learn this in Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever thingsare pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there isanything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” The peace of God is neverending. If we find our peace with Him, then Christians should be the most content and happy people on earth. If you feel free to read on in Philippians 4, you will read about all the trials Paul endured and yet still found peace and contentment.
I leave you with these words from The Message Paraphrased: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30
