An
astonishing fact remains to me that Jesus, the very Son of God, never sought
praise. Praise never seemed to be His goal for himself. He lived consistently
for others. Perhaps the only time a concept of self-centeredness crept into His
life was at the Garden of Gethsemane with one of his biggest temptations, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for
You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You
will.” [Mark 13:36, NKJV]. He kept a low profile every time he could until
his death. And that certainly was not any definition of praise except to a
mysterious God the Father.
Personally,
I believe there is a difference between self-centered action and self-interest
action. Self-centered behavior always results in favoring the Self core and
receiving something in return. You are motivated to get return for your action.
On
the other hand, you CAN perform self-interest for the benefit of others. For
instance, sometimes people love to give stuff [self-interest], like tools,
money, things they may have made just for the joy of seeing others receive. The
receivers may not appreciate or give any credit to those who gave. That’s ok. The
givers do not need any bragging rights.
It
seems at the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus just responded with normal
self-interest when he asked for the cup to pass, but He ended with surrendering
to the Father’s will, other centered.
Increasingly, as I
discovered the plight of self-centered behavior, another shock occurred in my
life. [more]
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