Devotionals

Stop Thinking About Yourself

by Michael Edwards 
09/04/26
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Jesus said it plainly: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25 NASB). He said it again: “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39 NASB). The path to a full life is not self-focus. It is surrender.

When we fix our thoughts on ourselves—our needs, our image, our wounds, our progress—we grow smaller. Anxiety rises. Comparison grows. Joy dries up. The self was never meant to be the center. Jesus is.

He told us where the heart belongs: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 NASB).

Paul gives the same direction: “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2 NASB). “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4 NASB).

The New Covenant life is others-shaped because it is Christ-shaped. “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant” (Philippians 2:5-7 NASB). He did not come to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28 NASB).

It is better to be a blessing than to spend your life waiting to get blessed. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35 NASB). “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38 NASB). God already blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3 NASB). We do not chase blessing. We overflow it.

Self-focus is a heavy yoke. Love is a light one. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you” (John 13:34 NASB). “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NASB). When His love fills the center, we stop starring in our own story and start serving in His.

Stop rehearsing yourself. Lose that old life. Look up. Look out. Seek what is eternal. Bless someone today. That is where you will find the life Jesus promised.

Many more New Covenant Bible Studies HERE. Jesus poured out His blood for the New Covenant of grace and truth, replacing the Old Covenant law of Moses. Believers are exclusively under the New Covenant, the last will and testament of Jesus that began after the cross.

And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood." Luke 22:20