Lovers of Themselves

244 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 3:1,2, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, (2 Tim 3:1,2) Let's look more closely at these strength sapping influences and behaviors that will plague the church until our Lord returns. First on the list is selfishness, people will be lovers of themselves. This selfishness is nothing new! In fact if I could coin a new word here it would be “self-fleshness. It's what our flesh is all about! It screams, “feed me! Feed me! Take care of me first!” It's 'I, me, my, mine!” You can see the evidence of self-love early on in the life of a child. It's a trait of the natural man and is always present with us. And look what happens when the natural man puts on Christ! Ga 5:24 says, “And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” And in Ro 13:14, we read, “ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. But our flesh does not give up easily! Whereas there is little or no battle with selfishness for the natural man, a battle of epic proportions begins for those who have come to faith in Christ. Listen to the Apostle Paul in Ro 7:15, “ For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” This is the ongoing battle for the Christian” and when selfishness wins, Christian strength is sapped. When love of self, wins out and starts to manifest itself in the church, perilous (strength sapping) times have come. Consider what a congregation would look like when self-love becomes dominant. The message will likely be compromised as in Isa 30:10, “ Who say to the seers, "Do not see," And to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.” The church will be something to “go to” where the flesh is fed rather than the Spirit. Strife will abound, pitting one persons fleshly needs against another! Php 2:4 will be tossed out the stained glass window: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Yes, it is and always has been a perilous time for the church when selfishness enters the sanctuary. Guard against it with all the resolve you can muster. To paraphrase a quote from JFK. “Ask not what your church can do for you ,but what you can do for your church!” Remember Ro 12:10, “ Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;” Do this and you will do well.