CHARITY

Selfishness and Pride

Selfishness is mankind’s fundamental defect. Selfish means: self-centered, self-serving, self-important.

At the root of every problem is selfishness. JAMES 3:16
Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is also disorder and every kind of evil.

No other “religion” teaches to put others first, to love your enemies. Christianity is the only one that teaches you can be totally changed and become a person with a new nature.

We are products of a corrupt culture that teaches selfishness. All sin is selfish. No one ever sins for someone else — we do it for selfish reasons.

We must die to selfishness — or self-destruct. However, we are unable to do it by ourselves. We must allow Jesus Christ to change us inwardly.

You can’t change the fruit without changing the root. That is why you must be born again-renewed in your nature. Only by receiving Jesus Christ, and letting Him change you, can you be a truly unselfish person.

Being selfish is a sin.

It can cause

1. Illness,

2. No happiness, depression, always feeling sad, despise oneself

3. Loose your value of your earnings, no prosperity

4. Whatever good you do turns out negative for you

5. All your relatives and friend turn against you

6. You loose your standing in family

7. You loose your standing in society

Pride

Pride is self-importance and self-focus — which leads to selfishness which is selfish thinking and selfish acting — which is the opposite of Jesus’ command of agape love (John 13:34).

Pride and selfishness always go together. A truly humble person cannot be selfish at the same time.

Pride is the root of selfishness — and thus the root of all evil. Pride is hidden but manifests as selfish acts. Selfishness is the cause of all evil. All evil proceeds from selfish actions. Selfishness is the only manifest problem, but pride feeds it. Dealing with the root cause of the problem is the only lasting solution.

Pride produces selfishness. All selfishness is pride.

Doing things yourself, on your own, is a part of selfishness. Prayer is the opposite of doing things yourself. We must desire God’s: will, done in God’s time, and done God’s way.

James Chapter 2:14-26
My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you?
Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don’t have enough to eat.
What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!”—if you don’t give them the necessities of life?

So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.
But someone will say, “One person has faith, another has actions.” My answer is, “Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions.”
Do you believe that there is only one God? Good! The demons also believe—and tremble with fear.
You fool! Do you want to be shown that faith without actions is useless?
How was our ancestor Abraham put right with God? It was through his actions, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar.
Can’t you see? His faith and his actions worked together; his faith was made perfect through his actions.
And the scripture came true that said, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” And so Abraham was called God’s friend.
You see, then, that it is by our actions that we are put right with God, and not by our faith alone.
It was the same with the prostitute Rahab. She was put right with God through her actions, by welcoming the Israelite spies and helping them to escape by a different road.
So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.

God gives and we must give in return.

We know in our heart of hearts that the best charity of all is the gift of our selves. When you give of your own time to help another, you are giving a part of your very life that is irreplaceable.
That is why the example of Mother Theresa resonates with everyone who knows her story.
Of course, our personal time is limited. There are only so many hours available that we can use to assist others.
For those of us who have accumulated goods and material wealth we want to be able to add or substitute gifts such as food, shelter and money to help others. On occasion we also want to be able to direct who receives our gifts.
We now need to find others who will distribute our giving on our behalf.
When we give we want our gift to be something true. We want our gifts and charity to be of real use to those who receive.

Giving tithe

WHO: Whoever desires to worship God.
WHAT: Giving first 10% of income to God.
WHEN: Whenever you receive income.
WHERE: Where you have been fed the Word of God.
WHY: To worship God and to receive His blessings.
HOW: By faith, diligently, promptly, cheerfully.

“The earth belongs to God! Everything in all the world is His!”

“Give to every one that asks of you, and ask not again; for the Father wishes that from his own gifts there should be given to all. Blessed is he who gives according to the commandment, for he is free from guilt; but woe unto him that receive”.