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This is the daily devotion from the book, “Holding On and Letting Go” and the companion audio from the July 14, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

Here is day eight and an important reminder to live a life of generosity as you let go of selfishness.  

Let Go Of  Selfishness

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”
Philippians 2:3 (NIV)

How easy is it for you to share?  Does that answer change based on how much of something you feel you have?  Why?  When help arrives in the midst of chaos, would you rather see someone else helped first or yourself?  Why?  If you find something being offered for free, do you take as much as you can or only what you need?  How can looking out for the interests of others help you have hope when in the midst of chaos?

When you lose much, it can be natural to cling to whatever you can manage to obtain.  Selfishness is one of those traits that is often easier to see in others than to see in ourselves.  Many times when a group experiences a disaster together, a camaraderie is developed that makes people open to sharing anything and everything that can be salvaged.  Other times, however, loss can lead us to selfishly cling to things we don’t even have a use for just because we don’t want to let go.  Overcoming chaos means we let go of selfishness and learn that others have needs to be met as well.  Every line has a beginning and an end and while we would probably all prefer to be at the beginning, that is simply not possible.  Letting go of selfishness doesn’t mean we no longer care, but rather now we care about everyone being taken care of and not just our self.  Especially in disaster when relief supplies are often limited, it is important that we let go of selfishness as we gain a shared concern for everyone who is also suffering.  When we don’t know if additional help is coming, it can be very tempting to take all we can whether we need it right now or not.  Letting go of selfishness helps us have hope in the midst of our chaos as we find joy in sharing with others.

As you pray, ask God to help you see any ways of selfishness that may exist in you.  Pray that you would continue to share freely, even in chaotic situations, as you learn to let go of all traces of selfishness.

In prayer,
Tom