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What is the iLife? It is the life that you live that screams "It is all about me, myself, and I." The iLife is only concerned about itself and completely disregards others. The iLife is about self absorption, pride, arrogance, and self indulgence. I believe in our western culture that there are many people living the iLife. We are taught we can be whatever we want or who ever we want and it doesn't matter who we have to step on to get there. This is completely counter to New Testament Christianity. Jesus taught about putting others before you. He demonstrated how humility is powerful. Jesus even said to treat people as you would treat your own self. Why don't we see more of this in Christian circles?
In fact I think the opposite happens more times than not. I mean just think of how most Christians treat those who don't believe as they do. Nine out of ten times we are more likely to demonize those people than to see them as the one sheep who strayed from the other ninety-nine. Why? Because we want it to be completely about us. In the book of Philippians Paul the Apostle even talks about people preaching Christ for their own selfish gain. I mean... where are we in our relationship with Christ when we begin to use the gospel for our selfish ambition?
This is the iLife that is prevalent in Christians.
Pastors are leading churches and losing sight of the cross while grabbing tightly a hold to fame, money, and political power. Christians are more concerned with how their actions will be held in the sight of others rather than in the sight of God. David sang in Psalms, "turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain."
We live the iLife when we become more concerned with what comes IN to US than what goes OUT to GOD.
I remember riding in my 1997 Toyota Corolla with my pal Jacob Mcmanus. I was 19 years old when God brought to my attention my wrong doing in my "good works". Jacob turned to me and said, "You know Benji, we have a problem with pride. We become so prideful of the good things we do that we do those good things for the wrong reasons." There is an episode on the TV series "Scrubs" in which one of the main characters, Christopher Turk, as a young surgeon, saves a man's life at a vendor stand. Dr. Cox, the main bad guy pseudo mentor, touches upon the condition of the human heart to desire being awarded for the good it does. Dr. Cox makes a bet with Turk, that the young doctor will not be able to keep his heroic act a secret, but would rather sell out to recieve the honor and fame for his deed. At the end of the show others are claiming credit, especially Dr. Cox, for the rescue of the man's life. No longer able to stand it, Turk bursts out proclaiming that he was the one who saved the man's life and deserved the attention for it.
I don't know about you, but I have a problem with not receiving honor for my good works here, and it reflects my selfish ambitions.
Jesus, while teaching his disciples about prayer, tells them not be like the hypocrites who pray loud and with many words on the street corners. They receive their reward from the praise they get from men, but rather that His disciples should pray in the secret, so that God will hear them and reward them. What is Jesus essentially talking about here? He is talking about not doing good for others in order to receive a reward from men. Try doing something good for someone and making sure NO ONE ever finds out about it. It is extremely hard to do!
We live the iLife when we do good to others, not for their sake, but for our own.
But didn't Jesus say to let our good works shine before men so that they may praise our Father in Heaven? YES! But we MUST do it with selflessness and always point people to Christ in our good works, never for our own selfish ambition. The Bible says to give honor where honor is due as well. Giving someone honor who deserves it is a biblical thing to do, it is in the receiver's hands though, how they handle the honor and who they pass it on to!
I'm so glad that Jesus was not selfish. Jesus did not live the iLife. Jesus even sent a "rich young ruler" away because he was too concerned about the iLife than he was about the ABUNDANT LIFE Jesus was offering him. Jesus selflessly laid down His life, endured the cross, the humility, and the shame for us!
So may it become clear to you the areas in your life in which you are living the iLife, and may you give that selfishness up to take upon the selflessness of Christ's teaching.
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