SELF OR GOD? –Part 1
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy." 2 Timothy 3:1-2
It is no doubt that we are in the last days, as we witness prophecies in the Scripture concerning the drastic changes that will be seen in human relationship with God (particularly the relationship of Christians with the Almighty God) in the last days. One of these prophecies being clearly fulfilled today is people (Christians inclusive) becoming lovers of self, rather than lovers of God.
It is the love of self that makes people, for example – atheists refuse to worship and serve the Almighty God (because to serve God, you must kill ‘self’ and submit your will totally to God, which is something atheists are not willing to do). It is the love of self that makes some Christians abandon their faith in God, cease following Jesus Christ and discontinue their service to God to indulge their immoral passions. It is the love of self that makes people abandon righteous living and embrace unholy living to please self. It is the love of self that causes people to rebel against God and live the way they like to their destruction.
What is the love of self? It is simply the destructive love of oneself. In other words, it is loving, valuing and placing oneself, one’s will, desires, ambitions, goals, and passions above God and His will, to one’s destruction. A lover of self does not care about pleasing God or man. Their major concern and focus in life is pleasing oneself. Such people only do things that makes them feel good; whatever inconveniences them, they avoid.
This behavior of loving self above all else, most importantly God, is prophesied in 2 Timothy 3:1-2 to be rampant in the last days. Among Christians today, we see this behavior being manifested in many careless and unwatchful Christians. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus declared, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This command is however being deliberately ignored by many Christians today as the love of self replaces the love of God in their hearts. This we see in the rise of immorality among professing Christians; because when the love of God is replaced with the love of self, immorality is bound to be the result. As many professing Christians today are operating under the love of self, rather than the love of God, we see indecent dressing among young Christian men and women on the rise; we see young Christian men being overtaken by drugs, alcohol, sex and clubbing; we see Christian ladies secretly, openly and unashamedly engaging in prostitution, fornication, cohabitation and adultery; young men and women becoming party freaks.
Going to church, serving in church, going for evangelism and soul-winning, giving towards the promotion of God’s kingdom on earth, giving to the poor and needy, paying tithes and giving offerings are no longer something of delight to many Christians whose love for God has been completely overtaken by the love of self. They spend more on themselves than they spend on God and the promotion of His kingdom.
Ask yourself this question: Am I a lover of self or a lover of God?
You know your love for God has been substituted with the love of self when the things of God no longer excite you. When reading the Bible, praying and fasting, reading Christian books or listening to sermons is exchanged with watching ungodly movies, playing games, spending time chatting on social media, going out with friends to eat, drink and chit-chat. When sharing the Gospel with sinners is replaced with having fun with sinners and engaging in the wrong they do with them. When going to church has become a burden and sleeping at home, visiting friends, playing games or watching movies at home has become a delight. When listening to God-glorifying music or watching godly movies is uninteresting to you, but listening to secular music praising immorality, wrong, evil and glorifying the devil, or watching ungodly movies (that makes the flesh feel good) is pleasurable to you.
Engage in self-retrospection and return to your first love today if you’re guilty of having replaced your love for God with the love of self. Earnestly pray for a revival quick, for if death should meet you at your present state, you won’t like your eternal destiny.
God bless you!
It is no doubt that we are in the last days, as we witness prophecies in the Scripture concerning the drastic changes that will be seen in human relationship with God (particularly the relationship of Christians with the Almighty God) in the last days. One of these prophecies being clearly fulfilled today is people (Christians inclusive) becoming lovers of self, rather than lovers of God.
It is the love of self that makes people, for example – atheists refuse to worship and serve the Almighty God (because to serve God, you must kill ‘self’ and submit your will totally to God, which is something atheists are not willing to do). It is the love of self that makes some Christians abandon their faith in God, cease following Jesus Christ and discontinue their service to God to indulge their immoral passions. It is the love of self that makes people abandon righteous living and embrace unholy living to please self. It is the love of self that causes people to rebel against God and live the way they like to their destruction.
What is the love of self? It is simply the destructive love of oneself. In other words, it is loving, valuing and placing oneself, one’s will, desires, ambitions, goals, and passions above God and His will, to one’s destruction. A lover of self does not care about pleasing God or man. Their major concern and focus in life is pleasing oneself. Such people only do things that makes them feel good; whatever inconveniences them, they avoid.
This behavior of loving self above all else, most importantly God, is prophesied in 2 Timothy 3:1-2 to be rampant in the last days. Among Christians today, we see this behavior being manifested in many careless and unwatchful Christians. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus declared, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This command is however being deliberately ignored by many Christians today as the love of self replaces the love of God in their hearts. This we see in the rise of immorality among professing Christians; because when the love of God is replaced with the love of self, immorality is bound to be the result. As many professing Christians today are operating under the love of self, rather than the love of God, we see indecent dressing among young Christian men and women on the rise; we see young Christian men being overtaken by drugs, alcohol, sex and clubbing; we see Christian ladies secretly, openly and unashamedly engaging in prostitution, fornication, cohabitation and adultery; young men and women becoming party freaks.
Going to church, serving in church, going for evangelism and soul-winning, giving towards the promotion of God’s kingdom on earth, giving to the poor and needy, paying tithes and giving offerings are no longer something of delight to many Christians whose love for God has been completely overtaken by the love of self. They spend more on themselves than they spend on God and the promotion of His kingdom.
Ask yourself this question: Am I a lover of self or a lover of God?
You know your love for God has been substituted with the love of self when the things of God no longer excite you. When reading the Bible, praying and fasting, reading Christian books or listening to sermons is exchanged with watching ungodly movies, playing games, spending time chatting on social media, going out with friends to eat, drink and chit-chat. When sharing the Gospel with sinners is replaced with having fun with sinners and engaging in the wrong they do with them. When going to church has become a burden and sleeping at home, visiting friends, playing games or watching movies at home has become a delight. When listening to God-glorifying music or watching godly movies is uninteresting to you, but listening to secular music praising immorality, wrong, evil and glorifying the devil, or watching ungodly movies (that makes the flesh feel good) is pleasurable to you.
Engage in self-retrospection and return to your first love today if you’re guilty of having replaced your love for God with the love of self. Earnestly pray for a revival quick, for if death should meet you at your present state, you won’t like your eternal destiny.
God bless you!
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