​Selfish In Order To Be Selfless?

       I heard a statement that has taken me a little bit to unpack. The statement was, “I have to be selfish in the morning so that I can be selfless the rest of the day.” The person explained that they had to be selfish in the morning by blocking out everything except their prayer and devotional time with Jesus in order to be equipped to follow Jesus’ example of being selfless. WOW! There is a lot of meat on these bones.
          In order to face the trials and issues of the day we must intentionally be selfish and block out distractions in order to get equipped from the source of our power and strength- Jesus. If we don’t do that then we will probably spend the rest of the day being selfish instead of selfless. We must pay the price of being filled with the Holy Spirit in order to allow Jesus to work through us each day.
          A former District Superintendent used to say that he had made a commitment that he would not eat breakfast until he had had a devotional/prayer time with Jesus. This man’s nickname was “Baby Elephant” because he was a large human being. For him to give up breakfast before he spent time with the Lord was a big sacrifice. But he also said that the rewards of getting spiritual food first far outweighed the desire for physical food.
          How about you? Are you willing to make a commitment of some kind to be intentional about spending time in devotional/prayer before you begin your day? It may mean getting up a little bit earlier or rearranging your schedule. But what a blessing to enter each day with directions and guidance from the Lord and also be equipped with the Holy Spirit to overcome any and all fiery arrows Satan will shoot at you that day.
          How about it? Will you die to yourself each morning in order to be selfless the rest of the day. After all- it isn’t about you it is ALL about Him (Jesus) anyway.
In love with Jesus – Gary Mimbs