Thought for Saturday, June 22nd

June 22, 2013                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

The Sometimes Unrealized Truth About Self - Help

 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Luke 6:38

“Down in their hearts, wise men know the truth: the only way to help yourself is to help others.”

-          Elbert Hubbard

Modern thinking and current social ideologies tend to teach that the path to self-help and personal fulfillment is to adopt a self awareness based approach to life where you as the individual are the center of your universe and all other things should facilitate and enhance your desires and motivations.  How contrary this is to God’s teachings.

God tells us that the first should be last and that we should think of ourselves as servants, rather than desiring to be masters.

God teaches us to love others and often put their needs above our own.

Yet ironically when we follow man’s ideas, many if not most of us end up feeling empty, unfulfilled and longing for something more: but if we follow God’s directives we are blessed beyond measure and can find the greatest fulfillment and satisfaction in knowing we have served a much greater purpose than satisfying our own personal desires and we have instead shared in and become a part of another persons life by being an extension of God’s love, through us, to them.

In a world where achievement and success are so highly prioritized: it seems almost oppositional to proclaim that we are not the cause or the end to the means: but rather we are just vessels to be used by and for the purpose of the one who created us.  Our objective as Christians should be to decrease the significance of ourselves – while increasing the significance of God’s power and presence: His love and compassion within us so that the things we do are all about Him and not about us.

The real truth about self help for Christians is simply this – let go – let God and allow yourself to be used by Him to help others and in so doing you will help yourself in ways you can’t even begin to imagine.

Prayer:

Father, teach me how to better serve others: rather than seeking to be served.