Pt1... It's not about me.

It's easy to get weary of doing the right thing. Especially when you see the world around you, doing whatever it likes. It's easy to get weary of doing the good you know to do, when it takes less energy and effort to go with 'self'.
However, much to the surprise of world, life's not about doing what 'self' wants. It's not about my self effort, my self worth, my self strength, my self desires, my self love, my value of my self.

Life is all about Jesus!

All those things are worthless if they're about me, done in my effort. My self effort takes me only a short distance. My own strength fails all too quickly. But when I use His instead, I am flying on eagle’s wings! It's no longer me, but He Who is greater! If I put my trust in my own self worth, I fall very short. There's no deeper well within myself that I can draw from to improve myself.....Unless of course I have something or someone worthy with all the attributes and power I need. And there is!!
Thankfully there's Jesus Whom I can draw from for HIS Strength, Power, Unending Love, Goodness, Mercy, Grace, Kindness....
I have little of these myself so can't pour forth more than my small amount. But Jesus has them in oodles, and as I have Him, I have them in oodles too. I have His worth now.

As the world around us seems to be in a sea of self fixation – everything is about what self wants, and about what self can get – we need to remember that the Paul put it all into perspective. As the world is revelling in the fact that they do what makes THEM happy, what makes THEM feel good’; they take what’s on offer, are entitled to everything as “it’s all about being happy”, and the world advises us to do the same, we need to take heed that we’re not chasing the wind and living conformed to this world. Paul says that will never earn contentment or fulfilment living like this.

Philippians 4 v 11 – 13: I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Paul shares with us that he’s lived in lack, and he’s lived in comfort, yet neither bring contentment. He says that whether he’s been hungry and in complete lack, the likes of which most of us will never experience, thank the Lord, yet he can still be content. And it isn’t found in anything to do with SELF !
It’s everything to do with Christ.

Paul’s focus is not at all on self. The motivations are not self motivated, they’re Christ motivated. They’re not self propelled or self generated, they’re Christ empowered. They’re not through self strength or self love, they’re through Christ’s strength and motivated through the experience of Christ’s love.
Paul’s entire life is wholly opposite to the way the world operates. The world looks inward to self effort, love, worth, value and desires. Paul looks upwards to Christ’s love, power, values and desires. His outlook is completely different, and he finds perfect contentment in this way of life.

We need to remember that we live, move and have our being through HIM. We live for Him, empowered by Him, and the joy we get from that is unsurpassable. Everything we do should be through, by and for Christ.