Greetings, 

How did sin enter the world? God gave man the opportunity to say of His creation… "No thanks, I can do this myself, and probably better."

Being created beings, we have been given the gift of self. What we do with our self is no small matter. Do you choose to be a person that spends most of your life trying to prove that you are somebody, that you can make it on your own, blaze your own path? Or do you choose to give your self as a offering back to the Lord? By creating us, He already made us somebody, but our desire to prove ourselves and make a name for ourselves becomes the means by which Satan, our flesh and the world captivate our self and lead us to make an idol of self. Or what you and I may call: selfishness. 

C.S. Lewis says the self-will is, “the ‘weak spot’ in the very nature of creation, the risk which God apparently thinks worth taking.” The risk is that humanity will become so self-dependent that they turn away from the dependency of God. It seems really natural that humanity would choose the path of selfishness because surrender feels weak and control feels powerful. 

Self is necessary. If we were without self, we would have nothing to sacrifice, nothing to surrender. With our self there is an opportunity to choose God. When we acknowledge our dependency on Him and surrender our self to Him, it becomes a beautiful celebration of who God created us to be. The Bible defines the one who surrenders self to the Lord as being a new creation—the old is gone, the new has come. 

Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."

Selfishness is not an adorable attribute. It is something to be rooted out, and you can do that by surrendering authority and control of your life. The “weak spot” in creation can be the most powerful when we surrender our self to Christ!

Love ya

Chris