By Chris WittsFriday 11 Oct 2013Morning Devotions with Chris WittsLifeReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
I have travelled in quite a lot of planes over the years,and so it’s no novelty anymore. But the 1st time I flew,I remember listening to the safety measures and drill which are obligatory on all air travel. And the message was clear. If there was an emergency,and the oxygen mask had to be fitted,fit your own first,and then help someone else. In that exact order. Not try to help the person next to you – but yourself first. I had to think about that,and then it struck me. If I’m not breathing properly,I can’t help anyone else,even if I wanted to.
It was an interesting thought ..you need to take care of yourself before you can anyone else. Does that sound selfish and wrong? Let’s think about it for a moment .. How well do we take care of ourselves? Many of us grew up being told off–and at times seeing for ourselves–the destructive evil within our own self-centred thoughts and concerns. We’ve had adults say to us .. “Don’t be selfish” and “Think about others.” Now yes – it is important not to be selfish. Learning not to be
self-centred is an important,even essential,lesson. Much evil comes from exclusive self love. But self-love can be misunderstood.
Consider how you were taught to care for things that had been given to you when you were young such as clothes,toys or a new bicycle. Take for example the care of tools. Many of us grew up in houses where there was a father who wanted us to not misuse,lose or even haphazardly leave around his tools. We were supposed to take good care of them. We were not to lend them to someone else who will mistreat them or lose them. Even if the tool was our very own,we were expected to take care of it. It would not have been acceptable if we asserted,”It’s my hammer,I can leave it out in the rain if I want.” The same is true of good clothes we were given as children. They were not to be worn at the wrong time so that they were rapidly destroyed or stained so that were not longer useful as dress clothes. We were taught to appreciate those things,and not to misuse them. I don’t think that’s being selfish – just being careful and prudent.
I love the way the Bible helps in everyday life. The apostle John,for example in the NT,wrote 3 letters known as John,1,2,3,towards the end of the NT. And the third letter (only 13 verses) is written to his friend Gaius,a well known and highly respected Christian leader. He welcomed people into his home. And John says to him “Dear friend,I pray that all goes well for you .I hope that you are as strong in body as I know you are in spirit”. What a lovely message. John was concerned for his friend,in every way. Like saying “how are you really feeling today?”. It’s so good when someone asks you that,isn’t it,because they care.
Do you take good care of yourself? You should because the Bible says this in 1Cor 6:19-20 “Your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honour God”.
Live a balanced life
How often we feel that work is all that is important in life. A politician failed to get pre-selected,but wisely said “No man ever said on his deathbed I wish I had spent more time in the office-“