Right in the middle of the apostle’s beautiful description of love in First Corinthians Chapter Thirteen we find the phrase, “Love does not seek its own” (1 Cor. 13:5). To avoid insisting on our own way we must change our thinking process. The cross of Christ is our motivation for the change in our thinking. The cross of Christ motivates us to pursue the mind (attitude) of Christ (Philippians 2:3-5). Jesus came to serve and give His life for us (Matthew 20:28). He humbly washed the disciples’ feet (John 13). He became poor, so we might be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus gave His life for us as a fragrant offering (Ephesians 5:1-2). When we forget “love does not seek its own way,” our entire Christian profession crumbles.
Selfishness is the desire to make self the center of the universe and put self before anything else. There is a difference between selfishness, which is sinful, and self-interest, which is healthy. Self-interest is the legitimate consequence of the way God created us. The Lord was trying to help us in the area of love when He said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12). When we love someone God’s way, we will seek their greatest good by doing the will of God.
Selfishness is the desire to make self the center of the universe and put self before anything else. There is a difference between selfishness, which is sinful, and self-interest, which is healthy. Self-interest is the legitimate consequence of the way God created us. The Lord was trying to help us in the area of love when He said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12). When we love someone God’s way, we will seek their greatest good by doing the will of God.
Clark Tatum
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