Thoughts for Life: SELF DISCOVERY

~ James Cagle- "Almost 150 suffixes attach to the prefix self and describe the selfish character of the self-life. (photo courtesy of pixabay and Sarah Loetscher)

Some are self-love, self-will, self-assertion, self-serving, self-absorbed, self-possessed, self-conceit, self-advancement, self-righteousness, and self-satisfied. All describe selfishness and self-centeredness and how those characterized by these words live for self-gratification. But other descriptions also exist, such as self-discipline, self-restraint, and self-denial. We know these after self-examining, being self-abased, and seeing our true self-image.

According to John Hackett, the Presbyterians coined the word selfish in the 1640s. Selfishness is self-indulgence—when we are excessively concerned about our welfare without regard for others. Charles Finney says selfishness manifests when the will obeys the impulses of the sensibilities and prefers them to the claims of God and the good of the being as a whole.

We never discover self until we turn against it, leave it out of the picture, and serve God. When we choose to die to self, self projects itself and does all it can to get in our way, hindering our work for God. If we are not struggling against self to gain self-mastery, we have not discovered self, the danger of the self-life, or working against it by living in self-denial.

To be a disciple of Jesus Christ like Paul, we must discover self, turn against it, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. As we continue to obey Christ and deny self, we will conquer the self-life, and the characteristics of the self-life will disappear. In its place, the life of Christ, which is one of self-sacrifice, will triumph and manifest itself.

"But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." 1 Corinthians 9:27 KJV

Self is our greatest enemy. Have you discovered this to be true? What steps can you take to put yourself aside to follow Christ and be like Him?

Self-Discovery

James Cagle

Let's pray-

Father, we're in need of Your help in our self-righteousness, as we know the traits of it are self-satisfying, not applying any self-discipline, self-restraint or self-denial. We need for You to help us examine ourselves, so we can see our true self-image.
It's true that when we are excessively concerned about our own welfare, not regarding others, we are not manifesting the impulses of sensibilities and preferences of Your claim on us, or the good of our being as a whole.
We never discover our self until we turn against it, leaving it out of the picture and aim to serve Christ. We find that self projects itself and does all it can to get in our way, to keep us from choosing to die to self, and live in self-denial.
We must obey Christ and deny self if we are to conquer the self-life. Like the Apostle Paul, we must turn against self, take up our cross and follow Jesus. Self-life will disappear and in its place, the life of Christ will triumph and manifest itself.
It's in the name of Jesus we ask for help to accomplish this. Amen

#40 Quote from Power in Praise, pgs 47, 48.

"A human baby doesn't grow by stretching himself. He doesn't have to be good to deserve his daily care. He is fed, clothed, loved, and cared for by his mother and father, simply because he is their child.

They know his every need, and they provide for him. His growth comes about naturally, effortlessly, as long as the child accepts his food and gets his proper rest and exercise.

Can you imagine a child refusing to eat and sleep, telling his mother, 'I'm not ready to eat.' That is exactly the way many Christians behave. God has made all the provisions; He's prepared everyting we need to grow - food, rest, love, care. But we're over in the corner, struggling, trying to grow so we'll be worthy to receive.

Recommended Reading-

Power in Praise

"Power in Praise" is a simple, clear explanation

of how and why the principles introduced in

"Prison to Praise' work in everyday life.

1226-1230 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-

1226- Is. 30:19b "He will be gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry.'

1227- Ps. 109:4b "I give myself unto prayer."

1228- Jer. 15:20b 'I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD."

1229- Isaiah 1:17a "Learn to do well."

1230- Is. 35:10a, c "The ransomed of the LORD . . . shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

#40 Hymn- When I survey the Wondrous Cross

Some encouraging words-

"Rest assured. God is faithful and rewards those who obey Him. The reward may not come as we expect or in the way we thought was right. Yet, God rewards those who follow Him and keep His commandments. We may be surprised at how God rewards our obedience. Don’t be afraid or discouraged. Rather, be zealous for the fear of the Lord." Jordan Zuniga Zealous for Obedience

~ The Holy Spirit has given all believers gifts to build up the body of Christ. There are many different gifts, but all come together to form one body. Just as a body has many different parts that all serve one purpose, so does the body of Christ with the gifts of the Spirit.

Upcoming posts:

6/15- CONTENTMENT- Mary Southerland

22nd- CONTAGEOUS GIVING- Ken Barns

29th- DO NOT BE AFRAID- Kathy Stricker