Get Selfish

Care about yourself first.

Stop settling so easily.

Put your eyebrow back down, un-squint the eye on the other side of your face from the raised brow, and let me explain.

I'm not talking about a little house with little stuff bought with little money from a little job working for some little company in this little state on this little planet called earth. I'm not talking about anything related to what we think you're entitled to or what we think we should shoot for in the Disneyland world we live in here in America.

It's not about comfort, convenience, security, retirement, or anything so petty and short-sighted. That's where people settle way too easily -- thinking about the here and now that is gone in an instant instead of thinking about eternity.

I'm talking about salvation, and I'm talking about joy.

If we want the most out of this world, we're have to realize that getting the most doesn't come from this world. It comes from something, someone, far greater and more amazing. So let's stop trying to fill a hole inside with something that only God can fill. Let's seek him first, seek his kingdom first, do what he says -- after all didn't Jesus say in John 15:10-11 "if you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

Joy? Not mere fleeting happiness that we try to get from the world? But real, lasting, complete, joy? That's not settling, that's what we were created to have.

But we have to get selfish with our joy. Our joy has to come first.

What?!

I didn't say our own happiness has to come first. I said our own joy has to come first. And joy is different. Joy is deep and rich and wide. Joy is what makes other people want what we have. No joy is what makes people go "why should I care about your Jesus?" I don't care what great thing someone goes off and does "for Jesus" -- if there is no joy in the person's heart behind it, I question how effective that "great thing" is.

And if we seek our own joy first, we'll do what God wants, because true and lasting joy only comes from him. We'll love people madly and deeply. We'll give and give of ourselves. We'll desire to do, try to do, and actually do, those things Jesus said that makes us do a double take and say "Jesus you're nuts! That's impossible!" And people will see it, allowing us to make a bigger impact on a hurting and dying world.