Selfishness: My journey update. . .

Hello, everyone!  Over the past month, I have been trying to implement some ways of putting God first in my life.  I have started with the basics: daily Bible reading. This week I am beginning the story of King David (1 Samuel).  I have always asked myself how a person who repeatedly sinned against God could still be so pleasing to Him.  When God chose David to be king, he told Samuel, 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'(Acts 13:22, NIV).  So it is with great enthusiasm that I read the next several books and try to understand how that came to be so.  I purchased several sermons by James A. McMenis teaching and explaining the life of David.

 

Also, in keeping in line with the previous posted instruction of how to discern God’s will for your life, I will be starting with my professional life—my occupation.  I have two in-demand skill sets, however, I am bored with one (my current job) and I am unable to get a position in the other (due to lack of experience).  As a result, I will be for the first time petitioning God to learn His given purpose for my life. 

It is waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy overdue!

A Bride In Waiting

How To Combat Selfishness: James A. McMenis Review

In James A. McMenis’ sermon The Will of Man and The Word of God, I learned that one can combat selfishness through putting God first. McMenis illustrates this point with the principle of first fruits: If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches (Romans 11:16, NIV).  In other words, if you put God first, then everything thereafter will be blessed.

One can put God first through honoring Him with the first fruits of her actions (i.e. praise, tithing, prayer, meditation). For example, by fellowshipping with God on Sundays, which is the first day of the week, the whole week will become blessed.  So expect it. If one meditates on The Word first thing upon awakening, then the rest of the day will be blessed.

The message goes on to encourage that whatever areas of your life (i.e. faith, family, finances, future plans, etc.) are lacking, you should seek God’s will for your life in that area.  If you put Him first, then that area of your life will improve. “. . . Seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33).”

A Bride In Waiting

Selfishness Update: Joyce Meyer Review

Okay.  I just finished watching the several Joyce Meyer DVDs I bought on the topic of selfishness.   Moreover, while I learned an awful lot about Joyce Meyer, the person (i.e. she shared countless illustrative anecdotes about her husband, coworkers, children, etc. . . etc. . .), she did illuminate one profound thought pertaining to selfishness that I had yet to piece together for myself:

Self-centeredness which is a type of selfishness can cause depression.  You can become depressed while thinking about your life, your looks, your finances, your job, your health, your . . . Get it?  If you are depressed about your troubles, then stop thinking about your troubles. To fight depression you should think about other things and other people.  In essence, get your mind off what is troubling you.  Paul encourages in Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV), “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

A Bride In Waiting

To Be A Royal Bride. . .

Who can find a virtuous wife?

For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.

She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:

“ Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 31:10-31 (KJV)



Brides In Waiting is now on YouTube!

Hello, Everyone!

Brides In Waiting will now have a channel on YouTube!  Videos such as the one previously posted on this blog will be uploaded to YouTube for additional viewing.

Also, the DVDs of the taped sermons I purchased have arrived.  I will have a busy Easter weekend studying what it means to not be selfish, but to be in service or in waiting to others.  If you all have any other recommendations on great resources for combating selfishness, feel free to post some information so that we all may benefit.  Enjoy the Easter celebrations.  He lives!

A Bride In Waiting

Please save me from myself so I can heal. . .

Lauren Hill’s “Selah” which is a very intuitive song about personal struggle and self-awakening to God serves as the accompaniment to what I hope is an inspirational video about self-discovery in Christ.  Enjoy!    

If you’re selfish and you know it, raise your hand.

Alright.  The first stop on my journey as a Bride In Waiting is to address and correct my selfishness.  I Am Selfish.  Now, I will lend you five dollars to buy lunch.  I will give you my last stick of gum if you ask for it, and I will even buy you that gadget you were looking for, but couldn’t find if I should come across it while running errands.  Yet, still I am selfish. How so? Self-centeredness.  I currently do not set aside cash to provide for those in need.  I do not bring extras just in case someone else may want one, and I do not dedicate time to assist others in their causes without being specifically asked. In short, I don’t really act with others’ needs in mind.  Their needs tend to be an afterthought, yet “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” (Philippians 2:3-4).  These are the words I hear when I recount how self-seeking I am.

So, how do I plan to correct my selfishness? First up, I plan to study The Word on the perils and warnings against selfishness.  I’m an audio-visual learner, and so I purchased several taped sermons on selfishness: one by James A. McMenis whose teachings provide a plethora of Scriptures, and several others by Joyce Meyer who has spoken a great deal on the issue of selfishness. 

 

I’ll let you know what I learn.

A Bride In Waiting

Welcome!

If you have read my profile, you were probably able to gather that my life’s goals were quite selfish.  Now, I am sure that others may have been blessed by these accomplishments, but they were not my main motivation.  Neither was God. And that brings me to my purpose for writing this blog.  Jesus told His disciples that whoever has the desire to keep his life will have it taken from him, and he who gives up his life because of me will have it given back to him (Matthew 10:29).  Even though I am quite anxious about giving up my selfish ambitions and the means through which I pursued them, this is the life that I want: that given to me by God through Jesus. 

Have you experienced a similar turning point? Please feel free to share with us your experiences.  We could all do with some encouragement.

Thank you,

A Bride In Waiting