Are You Selfish Or Unselfishness Sunday, May, 2012

Are you selfish or unselfishness? Sunday, May 20, 2012

In Mark 12:38-40 in the Illustrated Bible Jesus is scolding the Jewish leaders ( the teachers of religion) for being selfish, in Verse 40 Jesus says, “but they shamelessly cheat widows out of their homes and then, to cover up the kind of men they really are, they pretend to be pious by praying long prayers in public. Because of this, their punishment will be the greater.”

They loved to show themselves as important people, wore expensive clothing and expected the people to bow to them in the synagogues, give them the best seats at the synagogues and banquets. They liked to show how important and superior they were compared to the common person.

They pretended to be pious by showing themselves in public praying long prayers all the while cheating the common people, widows and children out of their hard earned money and stealing their homes right from under them. We have some of those same kind of self-important people today doing the same thing and would “show” righteous anger if you accused them of being the way they really are.

We should all strive to be unselfishness, and at all times to show loving care and consideration to people that are less fortunate then we are. Unselfishness means more than just generosity. It also means that you aren’t excessively caught up in your own concerns at the expense of other people. I am not saying it is wrong to make sure your life and your family’s life is better, what is wrong is to live as if you are the only one whose feelings matter.

A good example of unselfishness is Mark: 12:41-44 a poor widow made an offering of two small cooper coins worth less than a penny. But Jesus pointed out the significance of such a gift to his disciples. He knew that this was all she had to give, and consequently was a completely unselfish gift worth much more than large amounts of money given from the excess of others.