James 3:13-16 “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.”
I once heard the story of two men describing a third... “Let me describe him for you,” one of them said... “He’s the kind of guy who follows you into a revolving door and comes out ahead of you... that’s selfish ambition!”
Ever met someone who’s selfish? A person who lives with a “me first” attitude all the time? In James 3, the Bible tells us that where there is selfish ambition, there is disorder and evil. Self-serving people have the wrong priorities... they put themselves above others and disregard Christ’s call to be a servant. And the evil that the passage describes? It’s pride. Self-centeredness. And scripture tells us that God sets Himself against those that possess that trait. The antidote to the poison of selfishness? Generosity, humility, and servanthood... Let’s get out there today and show the world the love of Christ by not living “me first” but “you first”... Selflessness like that could change the world!
