Less of Self, More of Jesus

Honestly, ever since I started to live more of pleasing God, instead of pleasing people, every aspect of your life changes.

I’ve found that you start to lose your own judgement towards people, but you start to gain more patience, understanding, and love towards others because doing that, pleases God. Matthew 22:36-40 says, “”Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.””

Since we were born, we’ve all been taught, and society has helped shaped, how to get our own ‘identity’. What’s hard is that sometimes, this ‘self-discovery’ focusses on more of us, instead of God–instead of Jesus. We become more ‘selfish’ in our thoughts, actions, and decisions. We base and judge things through what appeals to us; and this essentially is what brings us to our own ‘cliques’ and friendship groups. We want to find other people who share the same judgement and thinking as us. Now, once this new-formed group has established a strong sense of connection towards each other, negative relationships start to form within the group towards others who do not share the same beliefs and ideas as they do.

Now that’s what the bible is here for, that’s why we have a God who cares so much about us, that he even sent his own Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us. The bible shows us the right way to go-about things, and hardships and circumstances happen so that we are able to learn from it. Romans 5:3-5 says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

So when we start to make practice to live our lives to please God, and not for people, aspects in your life changes for the better. When you please God, you love others. When you love others, people will see that you have a heart that’s caring and loving. When they love you, you know that they, in fact, love Jesus, because Jesus lives in you. 1 John 4:7-8 says, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” If you ever thought that the only way to minster to people, or to show people who Jesus is, is through talking and talking and talking (this could even lead to multiple arguments with others!), then maybe try and stop and listen to them for once, and let God do the ministering through you–through the love that you’ll show them. We are, in fact, just instruments for God, so that He can use us to show others of his glory.

When we start to live more of pleasing God, instead of people, we start to become more aware of things. We start to become less of ourselves, and become more of Jesus. We start to lose our own mere worldly identity, and start to gain more of a heart of love, and love is God. We start to decrease, and God starts to increase. Hebrews 6:10 says, “For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” And if you think that you don’t get your way, because you do the right thing and please God, then God will reward you for that. You just have to wait.

 

 

Dear God,

Thank you for everyday. Thank you that each morning, you give me another chance to strengthen my walk with You, and to become more like your Son, Jesus. I pray that you help me let go of myself, and instead grab onto you, and help me make more of my life pleasing You, and not pleasing people. Give me the strength to love, so that others may feel the love that lives in me, and You are Love. In all the things I do, help me to decrease so that you may increase. Help me not to become so selfish and judgemental over others, but continue to please You, and know that your greatest commandment is to simply love others as I love myself. Even though in some circumstances that do not please me, help me to always remember to be thankful and be selfless to know that maybe others might enjoy it; that it’s less of me, and more of You.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.