By Helen M. Mitchell
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."Mark 8:34b (NIV)
I had heard about Quantico, Virginia, home of the FBI Academy and the headquarters for the Marines, but now I was actually there. The legend was larger in my mind, so I was surprised at how much it resembled the little Indiana town I grew up in.
We were there for my brother's retirement ceremony. After dropping him off to make final preparations, my sister-in-law gave us a personal tour of the Marine base where she used to work. She made it a point to stop at one particular place, known for building careers.
"And this is officer training," she said. "The officer candidates must address themselves in the third person denying the use of their first name. In order to be a leader and effectively function as a team you have to get self out of the way."
What an amazing picture that is, I thought, as I watched those young men and women moving about the base like a well-oiled machine, of the attitude Jesus told us to adopt. As believers, we are to deny or disown ourselves, and put our selfish needs on the cross. To effectively serve Jesus we need to get self out of the way.
It is a daily decision and at times not an easy one when our own selfish desires are continually rising to the surface. Paul understood how to do it. Everywhere we look in his epistles, we see Paul getting self out of the way. "I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." 1 Corinthians 15:31 (NKJ)
In those moments when we want to let a coworker know what's really on our mind, or when an announcement is made for another and we feel ourselves knot up inside, or when our minds are on our to-do list rather than alert to the person talking in front of us-we need to deny ourselves.
Our selfish attitudes are so natural to us we don't even notice our impatient behavior when someone is going on too long in a meeting.
We need to check ourselves before we wreck ourselves. We need to be conscious of how we are thinking and acting and aware of our motives and attitudes before we can effectively get self out of the way.
One public company CEO in Southern California begins many executive team meetings and board meetings requesting that everyone leave their egos, attitudes, and titles at the door. He calls this his James 3:16 principle. This humble servant leader knows that 'self' is not good for business nor for walking with Jesus. In doing this, he models Christ-like servant leadership every day. How can you and I follow his example? What can we do today to set self aside so that we may lead and function effectively?
"For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."
James 3:16 (NIV)
Until next week ...
Discussion Questions:
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What do you think Paul meant when he said that he "dies daily"? What would that mean for you in your job?
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How would people who know you best describe you?
- Many people confuse not being selfish with actions that tend to make us ineffective. Where is that line?