It is selfishness that has spoiled our world so that it is no longer a pleasant place to live in. Wars, crime, divorce, and poverty all are results of selfishness. The God of heaven is not respected anymore because the God of selfishness has taken control of the world.
We expect God to protect us, and bless us, and give us a place in heaven, and eternal life. But how much are we willing to give Him? We easily spend 10 or 20 dollars or more for ourselves, but the God of heaven must be satisfied with one or two dollars, which we place in the offering baskets.
How many times have you gone hungry because you gave all your money to God as an offering? The poor widow gave two mites, and that was called a sacrifice; it was all that she had.
Also, our time is divided selfishly. Only a small part is given to the God in heaven, and most of it is used for selfish purposes. Often there is no time for missionary work or prayer meetings, neither for Bible reading nor prayer. The God of heaven has given us health reform, telling us what to eat and drink; but, how often the selfish stomach demands food and drinks that are not healthy?
In the early years of life selfishness is learned and becomes part of the nature of men and women. It often takes a lifetime to eradicate and remove it. Most of the time it is never removed.
“The First Three Years. Let selfishness, anger, and self-will have its course for the first three years of a child’s life, and it will be hard to bring it to submit to wholesome discipline. Its disposition has become soured; it delights in having its own way; parental control is distasteful. These evil tendencies grow with its growth, until in manhood supreme selfishness and a lack of self-control place him at the mercy of the evils that run riot in our land.” –Health Reformer, April 1, 1877
We have sometimes told parents, “look, your child is misbehaving, he needs discipline,” and their answer is, “he is young, when he grows older, he will learn.” But this may never happen.
“Selfishness is the strongest and most general of human impulses, the struggle of the soul between sympathy and covetousness is an unequal contest; for while selfishness is the strongest passion, love and benevolence are too often the weakest, and as a rule the evil gains the victory. Therefore in our labours and gifts for God’s cause, it is unsafe to be controlled by feeling or impulse.” –Counsels on Stewardship, p. 25
“Selfishness is a deadly evil. Self-love and careless indifference to the specific terms of agreement between God and man, the refusal to act as His faithful stewards, have brought upon them the curse, just as He declared would be the case. These souls have separated themselves from God; by precept and example they have led others to disregard God’s plain commandments, and He could not bestow His blessings upon them.” –Messages to Young People, p. 308
At the cross, love and selfishness stood face to face–Jesus dying for guilty sinners, and Satan rejoicing at the sufferings of Jesus, which he had caused.
Those who catch this sickness of selfishness do not know it because it blinds them. Every selfish person is spiritually blind. Satan claims that self-service is natural; to pamper your body and stomach is the purpose of life. Giving your eyes and ears enjoyable but worldly programs, music, movies, and videos is not sin according to the religion that Satan. For this reason his religion has more followers than the religion of Christ, which requires self-denial and the carrying of a cross.
“God abhors all selfishness and covetousness.” –Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 1158
“The selfishness which exists among God’s people are very offensive to Him.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 270
“Selfishness brings spiritual death.” –Ibid., vol. 8, p. 136
“It is the most abhorrent form of selfishness that leads the worker to neglect the improvement of time, the care of property, because he is not directly under the eye of the master. But do such workers imagine that their neglects are not noticed, their unfaithfulness not recorded? Could their eyes be opened, they would see that a Watcher looks on, and all their carelessness is recorded in the books of heaven.” –Messages to Young People, p. 228
“Let others do the work.
Let others carry the burden.
Let others sacrifice.”
This is the most abhorrent form of selfishness.
A selfish person will not be in heaven. Their prayers will not be heard nor answered. A selfish person is miserable and unhappy. No joy of heaven will enter his soul. This poisonous plant that Satan has sown must be uprooted so that not one fibre of selfishness is left in the heart.
Paul said, “I die daily.” He died to selfishness so that Christ could live in him. We also must confess and forsake selfishness. It can be overcome with the help of God.
“It is only when Christian motives are fully acknowledged, and the conscience is awake to duty, when divine light makes impressions upon the heart and character, that selfishness is overcome, and the mind of Christ is exemplified. The Holy Spirit, working with human hearts and characters, will expel all tendency to covetousness, to deceptive dealing.” –Counsels on Stewardship, p. 313
Sister White calls selfishness a leprosy, a terrible disease. “The leprosy of selfishness has taken hold of the church. The Lord Jesus Christ will heal the church of this terrible disease if she will be healed. The remedy is found in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah.” –The Review and Herald, December 10, 1901
Let us remove all selfishness from our characters while there is still time to do it because soon it will be forever too late. Amen.
Timo Martin