Are You Selfish?

Ezekiel 33:20,24 “Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways. . . . Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance.”

While my family and I were on the road, my wife purchased a special pastry that was reserved just for her. In the truck, we were having a conversation with my daughter about the reason that so many rich and famous people are unhappy. My wife explained to her that many rich people are unhappy because they are selfish-though they have everything, they want more.

Right after saying this, my daughter said, “Mom, could I have some of your pastry?” Somewhat jokingly, my wife proceeded to say, “No, this is my pastry!” It sure is easy to see selfishness in other people without detecting its ugly head rearing up in our own hearts. Ezekiel 33 gives us two alarms to warn us when we are being selfish.

We see the first alarm in verse 20: “Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. . . .” Essentially, the Israelites were saying, “It’s not fair!” If you find yourself saying or thinking this, watch out! Selfishness is rearing its head. In response to their cry that God wasn’t being fair, the Lord tells them that they will be judged for their actions.

God repeats in verse 29, “Then shall they know that I am the LORD. . . .” He is very much in earnest that we remember Who He is. When we fall into the same kind of selfish thinking, we have forgotten Who God is! He is the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator whose ways are always right. If you hear one of these alarms sounding in your life, don’t push the snooze button-root out that selfish thinking and be thankful to God for His grace!