Selfish to Selfless
Our default setting is selfishness.
Don’t believe it? Try hanging out with a toddler for a day.
Toddlers want what they want, and they want it now. Toddlers will fight (and sometimes bite) to maintain dominion over their prized possessions. Toddlers have little concern for schedules, agendas, or perfectly white walls.
The good news about toddlers—and people in general—is that they have the capacity to change into selfless people as they grow. But, if toddlers aren’t lovingly redirected and taught how to consider others, that selfishness will continue.
So if we’re naturally self-centered humans, how do we train our minds not to default to selfishness?
The Bible encourages us to model our lives after Jesus…
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”
Philippians 2:3-5 NIV
Jesus didn’t leverage His authority for personal advantage—power, pleasure, control, or comfort—but took on the nature of a servant.
Jesus spent His time investing in others.
Jesus focused His attention on helping others.
Jesus gave up His own life for others.
If you find yourself becoming self-obsessed, self-indulgent, or even a little self-righteous, consider asking God for His help.
There's No Peace Without His Presence
Moses was standing in the middle of a desert—both literally and spiritually. The people had just rebelled against God by building an idol of a golden calf, and now their future felt uncertain.
Yet in this moment of deep tension, Moses makes a bold request: If God’s presence won’t go with them to their destination, Moses says, he’d rather not go at all.
It’s not that Moses didn’t want the promised land. But more than the land, more than progress, more than answers, Moses wanted God Himself. He knew that no amount of success, comfort, or direction could ever replace the nearness of the Lord.
There are seasons in life when we find ourselves in our own wilderness: confused, dried up, uncertain of the next step. In those moments, it’s easy to crave clarity. But what we truly need is God's presence, not just answers.
Peace doesn’t come from knowing the plan. It comes from knowing He is with us in it.
God's presence is our distinguishing mark. ...