My will be done - Evidence of i-syndrome in our lives

This morning's devotion was really clear-cut like a blade piercing through the heart. Well, it caught me anyway.

The passage  I read was in James 4:1-10. More than 90% of our conflicts with others is mostly because we don't get our way and so we fight till the end. And each time we are caught in a conflict, we display the following characteristics

1. Pride - the biggest sin of all. We have the tendency to think we are better than the rest. We deserve to be listened to more than others. We might not think that out loud, but it might have crossed our minds. Pride is when we expect people to give in, respect or submit to us. Respect has to be earned and not demanded.

2. Jealousy. These days, we don't only covet material, we covet fame, respect, popularity, the intangible things as well. Take the religious leaders in Jesus's time. When Jesus performed miracles and showed great faith and wisdom, these Pharisees accused him of having dealings with the devil, after which they plot to kill him despite finding him faultless.

3. Covetousness. Each time we make a request to God, do we actually expect God to fulfill it? What if he doesn't? If our purpose is driven by faith in God, we will accept whatever God's answer is. If our purpose is self-driven, we demand and question God.

Everything boils down to our purpose in life. Are we living for God or self? And it's this life-purpose that starts driving our behaviour and character and the decisions we make. This made we thought of Luke 9:23-24. God calls us to deny ourselves if we want to follow him wholeheartedly. Because if there's anything hindering us from going to God, it's the self.

Love,
Alicia