Life Lifters | Lakeshore Community Church

Nov 03 8:56 AM

Not Being Self-Seeking

Nov 03 8:56 AM

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Today, I want to talk to you about this idea of what it means to be self-seeking, that oftentimes we find ourselves in a position where we're seeking how to satisfy ourselves.

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

1 Corinthians 10:23-24

Today, I want to talk to you about this idea of what it means to be self-seeking, that oftentimes we find ourselves in a position where we're seeking how to satisfy ourselves. Now, here's the thing, it's not like we grew up knowing how to be selfless. In fact, we are hardwired to be selfish. We only think about ourselves, we only think about what's happening to us. That's how we come into this world. Hopefully, over time, if our parents are some influential characters in our lives, they had really taught us how to share, how to be polite, how to do all of those different things. But it doesn't come naturally, even after we learn it.

The apostle Paul writes this profound phrase in First Corinthians 10:23-24, "I have the right to do anything - but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything - but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others." Here's what's fascinating with how Paul writes this: First he says, "I have the right to do anything." Now the word "right" here means lawful. It's permissible, it's okay for you to do it. But just because you can, doesn't mean you should. I know that's a hard concept for a lot of us to understand, just because you can doesn't mean you should. He says, "I can do all things," meaning it's okay. But then he says, "but not everything is beneficial." What does he mean by beneficial? He means it's not for the common good. It's not going to benefit those around you. It's not going to create a better environment. Then he repeats himself, "But I have the right to do anything." Again, it may be permissible, but just because you can doesn't mean you should, because then he follows it up with this, "but not everything is constructive." What does he mean by being constructive? It literally means to build something up. Just because you can doesn't mean you should, because it's not going to strengthen someone else. It's not going to create a better environment around you. It's not going to build others up. The word that we use in the church for that is edification. It's not edifying. It doesn't build you up.

You see, we are naturally selfish. That's why I think he closes it with this, "No one should seek their own good, but the good of others." Remember, you are naturally selfish. That's how we come into this world. It's a process throughout our entire lives to figure out how to be selfless, and to put someone else's needs before our own. So I want you to change the question you internally ask yourself. Especially when you're in a situation and you're working with somebody, maybe that person's annoying you or something. I want you to change the question that you ask. Ask, "what does this person need? How can I help them?" versus, "What do I want?" It's this idea of not being self-seeking. Father, I want to lift up everyone who's reading this. Thank you for them. Father, we just ask that you would help us have the strength to not be self-seeking, so that everything we do is to build someone else up to help the common good. Father, we thank you for the grace that you have given us and I pray that we would be able to extend that to one another. For whoever's watching and is struggling through that right now, I pray that you give them courage, give them strength, give them peace, so that they can love someone else and ask that question, "what does this person need?" versus, "what do I want?" Thank you. In Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Brian Pawlowski

Nov 01 8:35 AM

Apologizing is Hard

Nov 01 8:35 AM

Monday, November 1, 2021

Today, I want to talk to you about something that I have personally struggled with for many years. I know many other people have as well. It's the idea of apologizing.

Monday, November 1, 2021

Romans 12:3

Today, I want to talk to you about something that I have personally struggled with for many years. I know many other people have as well. It's the idea of apologizing. We've all done something that we knew was wrong, and then you have to muster up that courage and swallow your pride to go apologize. Or, maybe sometimes we don't apologize when we should. Maybe you're even in a moment where you know you were right, but the way that whole interaction played out just wasn't up to par. So now you find yourself in a position where you know you probably should apologize, but maybe you don't want to. Here's the fact: apologizing is hard, regardless how you do it. This is because it all comes to ourselves, it all comes down to our pride and how we're going to work through that.

There's a scripture passage that I want to look at just to give you some encouragement, because maybe you're struggling with this today, maybe there's something going on in your life, where you really need to deal with this. And I know this is a daily thing that I have to struggle with and work through, especially as a parent and as a husband. But in Romans 12, verse three, Paul writes, "For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." Here's what's interesting, he says the word "think" twice. In the English language, we have one definition of that, but in the original text, it means something completely different. He says, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you should." That first word "think" literally means don't be overly proud. Don't have a big ego, don't go in like you rule the universe. He says, don't think of yourself more highly than you should or more highly than you ought. Don't think of yourself in a highly proud manner. That's the first thing.

But then he says the word think again. He says, "but rather think of yourself with sober judgment." Okay, but the word "think" here means be understanding. Have a little compassion. Don't think too highly of yourself. Don't be too proud. But instead, go into the situation with understanding. Put yourself in the other person's shoes, whether they're right or wrong. It's all in how we carry ourselves and approach one another. He says in the last part of that, "but think of yourself with sober judgment." What does that mean? It means to be of sound mind, it means to be sensible. So what Paul is saying here is that in those moments where we know an apology is going to be needed, maybe for what we said, or maybe it's simply for how we said it, he says don't be overly proud. Don't go into this thing thinking you rule the universe, but think of it and approach it in a way of understanding where that person is coming from. And be sensible, be somebody who can really take to heart what is happening in the situation.

I know this is hard, but but some of us are parents, we can implement this with our spouses, with other family, maybe people that we work with. The fact is, is apologizing is hard. But he says, "Do this in accordance with the faith that God has distributed to each of you." In other words, do this with the faith that God has given you. It is by grace that we have been saved, but it's also by grace that God has given us a sensible spirit. So if you're feeling heated, you feel like you have a conflict with somebody, or if you think "maybe I said something that really turned somebody the wrong way," I want to encourage you, and I want to challenge you today. Go apologize to that person. I know how hard it is. Oftentimes with my boys something comes up, or they say something, or I come in and I'm like, "Yes, I got this, right." And I realized I just broke them down in the process. I didn't mean to do that. So I want to just challenge you today. Maybe there's that person that you need to call or text and start that conversation to apologize. Don't be too proud. Be understanding, be sensible. Father, I want to pray for everyone right now who's dealing with this and we know how difficult it can be to apologize because it all comes down to our pride. I pray that we'd be able to swallow that and to make right with whoever we need to, whether it's our children, or our spouse, or family members, friends, co-workers, whoever that may be. Give us the courage to do so, so that we can follow what your Word says, and that we would distribute the faith that has been distributed to us. We thank you in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Brian Pawlowski

Apr 05 8:58 AM

What Humble People Receive

Apr 05 8:58 AM

Monday, April 5, 2021

James 4:6, 10

If I say to you, I think being a humble person will get you further in life than being a person who has to fight and get their own way, you would probably agree with me in a certain sense, but inside privately, you'd question what I have to say. You'd say, "I think if you're humble, you're just going to get run over, or in football language, you're going to get trucked. Why would you be humble?" I mean, we would say that we all know it's good. We know it's right, but we question it in the way we live. So when Jesus says the meek, or the humble, will inherit the earth, we tend to think, "No, that's not true." Even though we know it's true, spiritually, if you look at the way we live, we tend to say the meek or humble will not inherit the earth. They'll be ground into the earth, they'll get run over. I'm here to tell you it's not true. I'm telling you if you'll be a humble person, you'll get a reward.

What is the reward for humility? James tells us in James 4:6 and 10. He tells us the reward that God gives the humble person, and that's, by the way, where the reward comes from. It's not just the natural consequences of life, but a direct reward from God. Listen to this. James 4:6, "That's why the scripture says, 'God opposes the proud. But gives grace to the humble.'" So, humility and pride are the two polar extremes. God resists the proud. Why? The proud say, "I can do it." And God says, "Okay, if you can do it, I'll let you do it. " It doesn't work. But he gives grace to the humble. What does that mean? A humble person is a person who's always thinking less about himself, and more about God and other people. When it says that God gives grace to the humble, what does that mean? Well, grace has two ideas, two shades of meaning to it, or two dimensions, perhaps. The first is that that God will give you undeserved favor. When you act with humility, he'll give you undeserved favor. Think about it. Imagine you go to your boss, and you're asking for a raise, and you say, "Look, I demand a raise, like I need to have a raise, right now. I want a raise, and you need to give me a raise," and you're prideful about it. Or, instead, if you say, "Boss, would you consider giving me a raise? I'm not demanding it. I'm humbly asking," and then you make your case politely, but give him the room to decide, what do you think's going to give you the best chance to get the raise? The humble approach will, not only because it makes sense, but because God will give you the grace.

The second dimension of grace thing is it's divine power. It's not only divine favor, but grace has divine power. So, when we say humble, we tend to think of weak. We tend to think of meek as weak, and of proud as strong. That's not really true. Grace is God's power. Pride is your power. What do you want, your prideful power, or God's power through your humility? I'll take the latter every time. James goes on to say this in verse 10, "Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up." The humility starts with God. Again, pride is you trying to lift yourself up. Good luck with that. Humility is God lifting you up, and God will lift you up to higher places. So here's what I want to say to you. Try operating with a lot less pride, and a lot more humility in your life. How do you do that? Instead of demanding your rights, you say, "Would you consider?" and give people the freedom. Don't go in powerful. Go in with a sense of openness and humility, humble, meek, in your approach. Don't worry about getting run over. You might. But you won't get run over very often, becuase God will lift you up above the trucking that others might apply to your life. I hope this helps you and helps all of us strive to live a more humble life because Jesus Christ Himself was humble and meek, and he gives us rest for our souls, according to Matthew 11:28 and 30.

Let's pray. Father, forgive me for being prideful, and prideful more than I realize. Maybe some of the people listening and watching feel the same way. Help us to operate with humility, to think less of ourselves, but think more of you and more of others. I think when we think more of you and others, before ourselves, you'll take care of us. So help us to be less prideful, and more humble. We thank you for this because we know you'll give us the power and the favor to go further in life than if we try to do it on our own. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.

By Pastor Vince DiPaola

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