Embracing a Life Beyond Self for God and Others

by: Dr. Laurence C. Mascay

More than 2,000 years ago, in the garden of Gethsemane in Israel, a Man  in agony prayed earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. He said, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Jesus made Himself nothing by taking on the very nature of a servant and humbly obeyed, even to the point of death, for the sake of the people He came to save. He is indeed the embodiment of selflessness that humanity should emulate for a better world.
 
Due to their fallen nature, human beings are inherently egocentric—self-centered and focused solely on their own interests, often to the point of degrading others, taking advantage of them, and disregarding their feelings and worth. The challenge for us today is to rise above this innate selfishness and embrace a new nature of selflessness, which is defined as “the quality of caring more about what other people need and want than about what you yourself need and want.”
 
Billy Graham said, “Only God can give us a selfless love for others, as the Holy Spirit changes us from within. This is one reason we must receive Christ, for apart from His Spirit we can never be freed from the chains of selfishness, jealousy, and indifference.” Selflessness is experiencing God’s love and goodness and selflessly extending it to others or paying it forward. Selflessness is putting others’ well-being or benefits first than ours. In a deeper sense, however, selflessness is putting God first. Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’”.   

​In implication, being selfless means demonstrating patience and kindness, avoiding envy, and refraining from boasting. A selfless person does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is slow to anger, and keeps no record of wrongs. Moreover, selflessness involves allowing God to work in and through us for His name’s sake and glory. While cultivating such virtues and practicing selflessness may seem challenging, with God’s help, we can live them out in our interactions with family, neighbors, friends, and colleagues. Ultimately, as we commit to a life of selflessness, the joy of the Lord becomes our strength, and His favor rests upon us.