Carol Swenson
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The Handbook of Bible Application
SELF-CENTEREDNESS (Egotism, Pride, Selfishness)
Why is being self-centered dangerous?
BIBLE READING: Psalm 100:1-5
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. (Psalm 100:3, NIV)
Self-centeredness can easily lead to hopelessness. God is our Creator; we did not create ourselves. Many people live as though they are the creator and center of their own little world. This mind-set leads to greedy self-centeredness and, if everything should be taken away, a loss of hope itself. But when we realize that God created us and gives us all we have, we will want to give to others as God gave to us (2 Corinthians 9:8). Then if all is lost, we still have God and all he gives us.
BIBLE READING: Matthew 3:1-12
KEY BIBLE VERSE: In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:1, NIV)
Self-centeredness is a sin that requires repentance. Almost thirty years had passed since the events of Matthew 2. Here John the Baptist burst onto the scene. His theme was “Repent!” Repentance means doing an about-face—a 180-degree turn—from the kind of self-centeredness that leads to wrong actions such as lying, cheating, stealing, gossiping, taking revenge, being abusive, and indulging in sexual immorality. A person who repents stops rebelling and begins following God’s way of living, prescribed in his Word. The first step in turning to God is admitting your sin, as John urged. Then God will receive you and help you to live the way he wants you to. Remember that only God can get rid of sin. He doesn’t expect us to clean up our life before we come to him.
BIBLE READING: Matthew 25:14-30
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Then the man with the $1,000 came and said, “Sir, I knew you were a hard man, and I was afraid you would rob me of what I earned, so I hid your money in the earth and here it is!” (Matthew 25:24-25, TLB)
Self-centeredness is a characteristic of sinful human nature. This man was thinking only of himself. He hoped to play it safe and protect himself from his hard master, but he was judged for his self-centeredness. We must not make excuses to avoid doing what God calls us to do. If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly. Our time, abilities, and money aren’t ours in the first place—we are caretakers, not owners. When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we are given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished.
BIBLE READING: Mark 8:31-38
KEY BIBLE VERSE: If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live. (Mark 8:35, TLB)
Self-centeredness is not part of a Christlike character. We should be willing to lose our life for the sake of the gospel, not because our life is useless, but because nothing—not even life itself—can compare to what we gain with Christ. Jesus wants us to choose to follow him rather than to lead a life of sin and self-satisfaction. He wants us to stop trying to control our own destiny and to let him direct us. This makes good sense because, as the Creator, Christ knows better than we do what real life is about. He asks for submission, not self-hatred; he asks us only to lose our self-centered determination to be in charge.
BIBLE READING: 1 Peter 1:14-25
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Now you can have real love for everyone because your souls have been cleansed from selfishness and hatred when you trusted Christ to save you; so see to it that you really do love each other warmly, with all your hearts. (1 Peter 1:22, TLB)
A self-centered person cannot really love. Sincere love involves selfless giving; a self-centered person can’t truly love. God’s love and forgiveness free you to take your eyes off yourself and to meet others’ needs. By sacrificing his life, Christ showed that he truly loves you. Now you can love others by following his example and giving of yourself sacrificially.
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