it's not about me. (Kyle Marks)

"The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him."

These are not my words. They are the word of the Apostle Paul, from his letter to the Phillipian church. But these things that Paul wrote about and understood are very important to me as a Christian. I hope that one day I will be able to understand this as Paul did. Another translation of the Bible reads "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ." Paul knew that everything in this life is worthless trash in comparison to greatness of being in a personal relationship with Jesus.

Paul knew that nothing was better than knowing God and putting him first in everything. I, on the other hand, find trouble doing this. Everytime I need to make an important decision, I first consider my own interests in each of my choices, and how much each one appeals to me. This is always my default response, not because I am completely selfish, but because I am not perfect at seeking the Lord's will first, and only his will. Yes, I do ask God and seek Him, but my own interests are still there infuencing what I think.

It is hard for us to live for something or someone other than ourselves. But I think this is exactly what we were made to do. Why is it so hard? Well, it requires humility, selflessness, sacrifice, and submission. It usually requires pain as well, and I have yet to meet someone who gladly welcomes any of these things. When you think about the life of Jesus, it is easy to recognize that he did not live for himself at all. When I struggle to give the smallest parts of my life to God, I see that Jesus gave everything.

So after all this, my prayer is simple: "Help me to live for someone besides myself."

- Kyle