We have been considering the heart this week.  The biblical heart is the intellectual part of our being, that is, the mind.  It is the center of who we are as Christians.

Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)
²³  Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

If our hearts are not right with God, we are not right with Him.  We should all do everything in our power to keep our hearts from being corrupted by Satan and sin.

Sometimes we can develop an unhealthy heart condition without knowing it.  It is not until we get a thorough check-up that the problem is discovered.  Spiritually, the same thing can happen.  This is why we need to spend time examining the Word of God.  It gives us a spiritual x-ray of our hearts and reveals to us when something is amiss.

A heart condition that is very common in our society is selfishness.  Selfishness is even promoted in some places.  It is thought by many that we cannot get ahead in this world unless we put ourselves before everyone else.  That view is the opposite of the one the Bible says we should have.  Listen to the inspired teaching of Paul.

Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV)
³  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.   

Do you think of others as being more significant than yourself?  If not, a bit of selfishness may have crept into your heart without you being aware of it.  You might want to answer this question: why do you think you are more significant than other people?  When you answer that question, you may realize that your improper view of yourself, and others, is caused by another problem of the heart—conceit, which can be the starting point of selfishness.

Whatever it is that causes us to be selfish needs to be done away with as soon as possible. Selfishness is the opposite of being like Christ.  Was Jesus thinking of His own interests when He went to the cross?  Paul did not think so.

Romans 15:3 (ESV)
³  For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Everything Jesus did, from His incarnation to His death on our behalf, were acts of giving, meant to help others, not Himself.  He was made poor so that we might be made rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).  His heart was pure.

Do you do well with sharing?  Are you willing to sacrifice, or even suffer, for others?  I’m sure we can all do better in this area, but let’s examine ourselves just to make sure that our condition is not worse than we think.  To be loving and generous people is to put ourselves in the company of God.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.