This fact was recently highlighted on a popular television show. The producers staged strange events in the middle of a busy pedestrian destination.
The purpose: to see if anyone would notice. And guess what? No one noticed! The people were all too engrossed in their own selfie shots appreciate the irony.
The situation was hilarious…and all too common.
So are selfie shots the problem or just the latest outlet for an age-old issue?
If one thing is true, human nature does not change. And humans have always been inherently distracted by self-interest.
Two thousand years ago, the Apostle James taught, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14, emphasis added).
Nearly three thousand years ago, King Solomon lamented, “Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
It’s true, selfies and selfie sticks are a recent phenomenon, but they are not the enemy.
The enemy: every human heart throughout time beats with the venom of selfish vanity.
So what does self-interest distract us from? What do we have to lose? Just a good laugh? Or something more?
First, selfish vanity keeps us from God’s good and perfect gifts.
Scripture says “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).
“Good and perfect gifts” include divine protection, miraculous healing, anointing, peace, joy, love, comfort, provision, to name a few.
The Disciple Peter ran into this issue. He was in the midst of experiencing a radical miracle when he took His eyes off Jesus and lost it. Jesus allowed Peter to walk on water even though Peter was living in the same natural world and in the same mortal body that we live in today.
But when Peter became distracted by the howling wind, the roaring water, and his mortal limitations, he began to sink.
We too risk sinking in the midst of our radical miracle if we become too engrossed in our “seflies.”
Second, staying focused on Jesus enables us to bear and produce fruit for the kingdom of God.
“Whoever abides in me and I in them, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Abiding in Christ requires continual, habitual investment in a personal relationship with Jesus. It’s not a once and you’re done kind of thing.
We do this by constantly reading the Word of God, fervently praying, and honestly reflecting on our sinfulness. It also requires us to intentionally plant the Gospel seed in the lives of others, so that they too can accept Christ as Savior.
What do we have to gain by bearing fruit? Only getting whatever we ask for in Jesus’ name! “And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you” (John 15:16).
That’s enough motive to keep my eyes peeled on God.
Third, self-interested people are more likely to be lured away by the enemy.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
A moment of distraction is all Satan needs to exploit our selfish desires. As we pursue selfish desires, Satan sabotages our efforts to abide in the Word of God. The fruit of neglect to the Word is disobedience.
Disobedience leads to painful mistakes that adversely affect our life and the lives of those we love.
Obedience begins with loving God with all our heart, soul and mind and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).
Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways . . . (Luke 9:23).
And Jesus emphasized, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33)
All of these require us to put God first, which cannot be accomplished if we’re too busy focusing on our “selfies.”
In the end, we stand to lose a lot more than a good chuckle; we stand to lose the wonderful protections and blessings of God.
Jesus has had many titles. Among them: Messiah, Christ, Lord, Master, Son of God, Son of Man, the Word, King of the Jews, Son of David, and Emmanuel, to name a few.
John the Baptist, a Jew, addressed Jesus as the “Lamb of God.”
The Lamb of God has particular significance for unpacking the connection between the Jewish tradition of Passover and Jesus.
The Jewish Passover celebrates the Israelites’ divine deliverance from Egyptian slavery, endowing the Passover with the dual themes of slavery and deliverance.
In the days of Moses, the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery was a physical one. As explained in the Jewish Haggadah, if not for divine intervention and the Exodus, the Jewish people would still be slaves in Egypt.
So, what was the divine intervention?
God ultimately delivered the Israelites from the oppressive Egyptian pharaoh through the sacrifice of a perfect lamb.
As directed by God through Moses, the Israelites were to spread the blood of such unblemished lamb over their doors so that the angel of death would “pass over,” sparing the lives of those inside.
It’s no coincidence that these same themes of slavery and freedom establish the foundation of Christianity.
Instead of physical enslavement, however, Christianity addresses deliverance from humanity’s enslavement to sin.
Why do we need liberation from sin?
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Freedom from physical slavery is important. But freedom from spiritual enslavement to sin is essential.
We can be physically free from bondage in this life and still be spiritually enslaved to sin.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Thus, everyone, both Jew and Gentile, needs to be saved from sin.
As predicated at the Passover, the only way to be freed from our enslavement to sin is through the blood of another perfect lamb: Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist knew the purpose that Jesus came to accomplish. “‘The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'” (John 1:29).
Like the unblemished lamb at Passover, God required an unblemished human to stand in the place of our judgment and spare our eternal lives. And since Jesus was the only human who never sinned, He was the only sacrifice able to atone for the sins of humanity.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The sacrifice of the perfect lamb at Passover foreshadowed (in form) the ultimate freedom that Jesus, the Lamb of God, came to accomplish (in substance).
Christ’s death and resurrection breaks the chains that bind us to sin and spiritual death. The consequence spiritual death is eternal separation from our Creator.
We can avoid this devastating consequence by accepting Christ’s sacrifice, enabling the angel of eternal spiritual death to “pass over” us as well.
What would it take for you to change your stance on an issue? It probably depends on your level of commitment to the position.
What if your stance on an issue started a worldwide movement? You could lose a lot of face changing positions when you’re in that deep. For Norma McCorvey, however, the cost was worth it.
Perhaps you don’t recognize the name? Norma was the plaintiff in the lawsuit that led to the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion. Norma McCorvey is “Jane Roe” of Roe v. Wade.
Norma McCorvey died this week at the age of 69. Those associated with the prolife endeavor may have to resist the urge to begrudge this woman. Those on the pro-abortion side of the debate may want to pay homage to an idol.
Neither side, however, has it right. While her case changed this nation’s policy on abortion, Norma’s real story stands in stark contrast to the rule that promulgated from her original plea.
It might surprise you to learn that Norma McCorvey never aborted her child. She gave her up for adoption.[1] In fact, Norma regretted her part in the abortion movement. Why?
Norma initially became involved in the pro-abortion movement to justify her part as “Jane Roe.” What she encountered, however, changed her mind, her heart, and her eternity.
In the process of advocating for her “right” to abortion, she learned a lot. Norma realized she didn’t have all the information. She did not understand that the process would end a human life.[2]
As Norma relayed, “I had no actual experience with abortion until that point,” becoming “even more emotionally confused and conflicted between what my conscience knew to be evil, and what the judges, my mind and my need for money were telling me was OK.”[3]
Norma wrestled with a guilty conscience, lying to create a more sympathetic picture to the courts. She claimed that her pregnancy was a result of gang rape, which she later admitted was completely false.[4] Sadly, Norma confessed that she found out about the decision from the newspaper “just like the rest of the country.”[5]
But the clincher that changed her mind might surprise you.
Was it money from a book deal? A falling out with her attorneys? No.
What ultimately shifted Norma’s paradigm on abortion was the love, acceptance and grace of the pro-lifers she encountered while working at an abortion clinic. Norma became a Christian and started her own ministry called “Roe No More” in 1997.[6] She could no longer deny her conscience in light of the compassion and truth from those on the “other side.”
As Norma herself wrote,
“Maybe it is you, Sir, who have a wife, sister, mother, or aunt who has had an abortion, or a friend, whom you have helped turn around to the loving mercy one gets from Our Heavenly Father, through repentance, and love for Jesus Christ, His Only Son! You, young man, whose girlfriend had an abortion that you didn’t know about until after the fact. Or you, whose wife had an abortion and doesn’t speak of it, then or now. Is there anyone out there who needs peace-of-mind through forgiveness? Look up into the heavens, as one old woman did, one hot Texas afternoon, and say: “God, I was wrong, selfish, bold,” thinking she had done the right thing by getting involved in one of the most controversial issues of the Twentieth Century, ABORTION, in a test case against the State of Texas, called then, and to this day, Roe v. Wade!
The hope is that we too will have a change of mind and heart like Norma. No matter how committed, we’re never in too deep to change our stance. And it will be worth it by the grace and forgiveness of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in whom there’s no condemnation (Romans 8:1).
[1] Affidavit of Norma McCorvey (June 11, 2003), in McCorvey v. Hill (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, Civil Action No. 3-3690-B and No. 3-3691-C).
[2] Norma McCorvey’s testimony before Congress in 1998. See “The 25th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade: Has it Stood the Test of Time?” Hearing before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Federalism, and Property Rights of the Senate Judiciary Committee, 105th Congress, 2nd Session (January 21, 1998).
[3] Norma McCorvey’s testimony before Congress in 2005.
[4] See Norma McCorvey’s testimony before Congress in 1998 as well as her testimony at the 2005 hearing, “The Consequences of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton:” Hearing before the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the Senate Judiciary Committee, 109 th Congress, 1st Session (June 23, 2005).
[5] Affidavit of Norma McCorvey, in McCorvey v. Hill.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
But what is meek? I’ve heard it so many times. “I don’t want to be a doormat.” But what does that look like for the Christian? Can you be meek without being a “doormat?”
For most, it means being “nice to a point.” And the breaking point? It depends on the person. It’s all relative by human standards.
For the person who has endured the testing of his or her faith, that point may be little further down the line. But for most of us, we have a long way to go in training our flesh not to “break” too early.
Take Moses, for example. Early in his walk of faith, an Egyptian tested his patience by beating an Israelite without cause. Moses responded with brute strength. He killed the Egyptian. The condemnation Moses experienced from his extreme response to the injustice caused him to run and hide in the wilderness.
But God wasn’t done with him. Despite his failure, Moses grew in faith and wisdom. He learned that God could really use him if he chose to go God’s way rather than be lured by the reactions of his flesh. And by learning restraint to the point of obedience, God used him to do supernaturally powerful things.
He came to realize that self-control requires even more strength than exerting physical force or demanding his way in a situation. Restraining feelings to obey God takes a lot of humility and faith.
God calls this meekness.
Being meek is not weak, it is choosing restraint so that God can do His work in a situation. It means staying the course of obedience no matter what we feel like doing.
We are never a doormat if we choose to respond the way Scripture tells us to respond. We have the strength of the Lord Almighty on our side.
Being meek is a good thing. It’s a characteristic that God can use for His glory. We can choose today to embrace the blessings of meekness.
Friends, Satan doesn’t want you to read this. If we understand just how he’s working to divide America, we may be forced to look in the mirror. Nevertheless, ignorance is not bliss in this case, lest the Enemy take advantage of us (2 Corinthians 2:11). Continue reading →
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve made a New Year’s Resolution. Too much pressure for my one little person to handle. Just the thought of looming goals made in anticipation of grandiose payoffs gets my heart racing. If I’m going to make a change—especially one that lasts—it’s going to be done in small, manageable steps. Continue reading →
You may have wrestled with the notion of being good enough for God. It may come as a relief to learn that salvation is not about what you do for God but who you are to God. God wants everyone to be saved (2 Peter 3:9). He made the process of salvation something we don’t have to earn. It is simply a matter of recognizing and accepting the most expensive gift you’ll ever be offered.
Take a moment to enjoy this 3 1/2 minute video about the gift that means everything.
It’s a selfie world. Sigh.
Jesus has had many titles. Among them: Messiah, Christ, Lord, Master, Son of God, Son of Man, the Word, King of the Jews, Son of David, and Emmanuel, to name a few.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
Friends, Satan doesn’t want you to read this. If we understand just how he’s working to divide America, we may be forced to look in the mirror. Nevertheless, ignorance is not bliss in this case, lest the Enemy take advantage of us (2 Corinthians 2:11). 
