DEALING WITH SELFISHNESS

The downfall of many men and nations has been the consequences of selfishness. In doing away with self-sins we should keenly battle out selfishness. King David, one of the greatest men to have ever lived followed his pleasure blindly which led him into a very catastrophic state.

King David unlawfully took the wife of another man, a man who served and honoured the nation.  He chose to have sexual relations with Bathsheba the wife Uriah.

 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. (2 Samuel 11:2-4, NASU)

David was the king and he could have married as many as he wanted but because of his selfish attitude he took the wife of another man. He committed adultery. He was driven by his pleasure. He became negligent of the law of God. He flattered his desires by laying with that which belonged to another. He coveted Uriah’s wife and fulfilled it in his palace.

This David was not quick to repent after hearing that the wife of the Hittite was with his child. The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am pregnant." (2 Samuel 11:5, NASU) Immediately the King heard this message he devised a way to maintain his integrity. He didn’t want hands to be pointed at him. He did not want the Hittite to instigate people against him. His selfishness led him to commit murder.

Now in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. He had written in the letter, saying, "Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die." So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. The men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David's servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died. (2 Samuel 11:14-17, NASU)

Selfishness – wanting to possess all things amidst the interest of others is the chariot in which several other evils ride. It is about time we forsake selfishness.

Dealing with selfishness boils down to cultivating a heart of contentment. Being satisfied with whatever you have as God-given and what others have as God-given too. Why will I want to possess something that God Himself has given to my brother or sister?

[And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain. (1 Timothy 6:6, AMP)

When the inward satisfaction is missing we tend to fill that void with anything pleasurable to our souls. I pray that today you will make it a prayer that God should give you an inward sufficiency concerning all that you have and all that you will get from Him.

 Any reproductions from this site must include a proper acknowledgement as follows: 

 By Samuel Entsua ©2014-2017 Christ for Humanity Outreach 

You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in its entirety or in unaltered excerpts, as long as you do not charge a fee. For Internet posting, please use only unaltered excerpts (not the content in its entirety) and provide a hyper-link to this page. Any exceptions to the above should be approved by Christ for Humanity Outreach