Self doesn’t come first …

… at least, it isn’t supposed to.

Many of our problems come from the fact we ignore this truth and routinely place ourselves first in our lives. But take a moment — seriously, take a moment — and ponder this:

There’s no relationship — whether with God, spouse, children, family, friends, church family, strangers, or enemies — in which self-interests are to be first priority.

Let’s explore some scriptures from the Bible that sheds light on such a bold statement:

“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment,” Matthew 22:37-38.

“And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ … So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband,” Ephesians 5:21, 33.

“But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers,” 1 Timothy 5:8.

“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments,” Matthew 22:37-40.

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other,” John 13:34.

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too,” Philippians 2:3-4.

“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other,” Romans 12:10.

“Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” Hebrews 13:2.

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you,” Luke 6:27-28.

It is a resoundingly clear teaching in the Bible that “self” is not supposed to have first place in our lives. In fact, to be a disciple of Jesus, this must happen …

“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me,” Luke 9:23 (NIV).

It isn’t that the Bible teaches we’re to neglect ourselves, we’re not supposed to do that, but we are supposed to deny ourselves or “die to self” so that we do not live a self-centered life. How does “self” rate in your life?

Scotty