Have you ever heard someone say “I'm going to find myself”, meaning they wanted to identify their life's ambitions? A man may have gone on an extended trip “to find myself”. A couple breaks up so they can “find themselves”. If the Lord were here, what would He say about this attitude?

Matt 10

39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Our lives can be spent focusing on our needs. We can gather all the wealth of the world and sit in a great mansion enjoying it. We can eat in the finest restaurants with the most exquisite wardrobe imaginable. We can jet from fashionable city to fashionable city all for the purpose of looking fabulous. But in the end, what good has it done us if we have lost our souls?

Matt 16

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

The Lord taught that if we live a selfless life, a life full of service to others, we shall gain the greatest reward. But if we focus on ourselves and opulent life styles, we have traded in our souls for short-lived enjoyment. This is our own selfish reward, and the price we pay is an eternal one.

We are on the earth to see which choice we will make. Father wants us to show who we really are. He wants to see if we will help the sick and the weary. Will we turn a blind eye to the poor and suffering? Will we dig a pit for our neighbor if it serves to benefit us? Will we love those who love us, and hate those who differ from our views? Will we treat life with respect or indifference? Every choice we make shows what kind of person we are.

Isaiah 14

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

What was Lucifer's downfall? He was apparently a son of the morning, meaning a son born early into Father's family. This is a status of honor. But he was cast out of heaven for planning in his heart to usurp power over God, the Father of us all. Attempting to implement this plan weakened the nations and cost him his place in heaven.

When we show signs of selfishness, we are leaning toward the side of Satan. He is the most selfish of all personages in existence. His single goal in life is to make all others as miserable as himself. He continually pours into his life's work every trick, lie, counterfeit, and sophistry he can devise to make people suffer. It is the only “joy” he has, and yet it is empty. For it brings no real relief from the suffering he endures. He knows his case is an eternally lost cause.

Interestingly, Satan, the master of bad choices, uses our bad choices to his advantage. He encourages the love-of-self to breed pain and suffering for man. Adultery, theft, lying, cheating, divorce, murder, wars, slavery, unrighteous dominion and many other roots of unhappiness are the results of God's children giving in to selfish desires. When Jesus warns us against being self-serving, He is trying to help us avoid the misery that these choices bring.

Cor. 13

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own,

The greatest attribute of all is charity, for it is the pure love of Christ. In order to truly have charity, among other good traits, we must seek not our own. This means we must not look for ways to make ourselves superior to others in worldly things. Rather, charity is the act of serving others. We look for ways to help them, ease their burden, make them glad.

This is the act of losing our lives that the Savior spoke of. In doing this, our lives become better, and we find our own loads lightened. Others then choose to help us in return. We see the hand of God in our lives, as He keeps his promise to protect his servants.

We find one of the greatest examples of selflessness in the life of Ruth. When her husband died, her mother-in-law was left without family. Ruth's only family lived far away. But rather than abandon this poor old lady, Ruth stayed and together they fought to keep alive. In return for Ruth's care, her mother-in-law gave her advice that eventually allowed Ruth to marry a well-to-do relative. Ruth had a son named Obed. He had a son named Jesse. Jesse had a son named David, who became King of Israel.

This great blessing came because Ruth forgot herself, and gave her life to service of another. She will be eternally blessed for her choice to serve. We must be like Ruth if we are to please God. We need to spend our days in the service of others. We need to sacrifice, giving more than receiving.

As we practice this attitude of selflessness, we grow in spirit. We become changed beings. Our basic desire to serve ourselves weakens. Our awareness of others becomes strengthened. Jesus showed this attribute throughout His life. He cared for others, and almost never for Himself. This is Godliness. Both the Father and the Son exemplify it. If we want to be in their presence, we must strive for it too.