What God’s Love Is #11: Love is not Self-Seeking

(1 Cor 13:5 AMP)  It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly.  Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

What God’s love is #11: Love is not Self-Seeking from Rick Pina on Vimeo.

• To be self-seeking is to be overly concerned with your own interests, desires, or needs.
• Being passionate and determined for personal advancement in and of itself is not a bad thing, but people who are self-seeking are passionate about their personal advancement, even if it comes as the cost of others.
• Self-seeking people are simply selfish.  The root word for selfish is “self.”
• These are people that simply put their desires above everyone else’s and neglect others in their pursuit of personal satisfaction.  This is definitely not a characteristic of a person who is walking in the love of God.

There are many descriptions in the Bible of what God is “like,” but I have only found two declarations of what God literally “is.”

• (1 John 1:5) says “God is light.”
• (1 John 4:8) says “God is love.”
•   God is like many things, but it is clear that He literally is both light and love.
• The opposite of light is darkness.  There are many scriptures that support the fact that God wants us to “walk in the light” and not the darkness of this world.
• The opposite of love is selfishness.  There are many scriptures (today’s text included) that support the fact God does not want us to be selfish.

In closing:

1.  Your success should not come at the expense of others.

• You should strive to be your best, you should endeavor to succeed in everything God allows you to do, and you should seek excellence in every area of your life; but you should not do it while neglecting and stepping on/over other people.

2.  The Blessing is not limited.  Others being successful does not threaten your success.

• The Father wants you to be blessed, but to also bless others along the way.
• God does not want to know how many times you made it up the mountain of success; He wants to know how many people you were able to take with you.

3.  Don’t seek self, seek God!

• When pursue God – who is love – success will pursue you.  (Mat 6:33)
• You can give without loving, but you cannot truly love without giving.