Disciples Don’t Take Selfie-Selfies

When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves. Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others. In your lives, you must think and act like Christ Jesus.
Paul, Philippians 2:3-5, ICB

When was the last time you took a “selfie”? Now, I’m not talking about a picture you took of yourself with other people as a sweet reminder of your memorable time together. You may have taken a number of those recently. In the last few weeks, my wife and I have taken numerous selfies of us with the beauty of God’s majestic creation of the Canadian Rockies in the background as we celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary. No, I’m referring to a real selfie – with just YOU in the picture. You might call this a selfie-selfie! However, to be clear, The Oxford Dictionary defines a selfie as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.” [1]

While the first selfie was actually taken about 180 years ago [2], this familiar word didn’t enter our vocabulary until 2002 and became the Word of the Year in 2013! In our present-day culture, taking a selfie and posting it on social media for the world to see has become a common, even anticipated activity. Did you know that over thirty “Selfie WRLD Museums” are now scattered across the United States from Alaska to Virginia? [3] Wake up Walt Disney World, the #1 trending Selfie Museum in the Country, has now come to Orlando! [4]

I can imagine if smartphones were available during the building of the Tower of Babel in Shinar, there would have been countless selfies taken of sweaty selfish people with their pride and joy of bricks towering in the background! [5] Why would I suggest this? Because I’ve learned through the years that it is natural for us humans to focus on ourselves. Yes, I’m speaking from personal experience! Without transformed hearts set on following Jesus in allegiance to his authority and obedience to his teachings, life is typically all about us and our selfish desires.

Let’s take a quick look from 35,000 feet at the selfish character of humanity:

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. [6]
They are ignorant shepherds, all following their own path and intent on personal gain. [7]
But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.” [8]
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas. [9]
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days, there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. [10]

This list is simply a sample of the countless examples recorded in the Scriptures validating that we’ve been focused on “ourselfies” since the early days of our existence on this beautiful planet. But a disciple of Jesus should be a different breed of humanity. Instead of focusing on ourselves, we are to consider, focus upon, honor, and love others as Jesus modeled for us.

The church in Philippi was dear to Paul’s heart. Approximately ten years after he, Silas, Luke, and perhaps other unnamed disciples first arrived in this Roman colony, Paul writes his most personal letter to a church community. The letter to the Philippians is saturated with love, Christlike affection, and words of appreciation and encouragement. As I have read this letter multiple times in my life and attempted to dig deep into Paul’s primary intentions, I have concluded that Paul desires to portray for these young believers how a maturing disciple of Jesus looks and lives. While the dominant topic and characteristic is the abundant joy that Jesus brings us during any situation, I believe this letter gives us a vivid picture of a disciple growing into emotional and spiritual maturity.

Look closely at Paul’s words located near the beginning of chapter two.

When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves. Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others. In your lives, you must think and act like Christ Jesus.

What words or phrases stand out to you? Remember, he is addressing this letter to the believers in Philippi. What are the implications of Paul’s charge and warning to these beloved brothers and sisters? Evidently, we who claim to follow Jesus tend to gravitate off course, focus on ourselves, and become prideful in our accomplishments. Notice how Paul contrasts selfishness and pride with the Christlike qualities of humility and ascribing honor to others.

Next, Paul lays out an imperative command for this Philippian church and for all of us who follow Jesus: we must think and act like Christ Jesus! Why? Because we are his disciples. And disciples are those who follow their Rabbi in allegiance to his authority and obedience to his commands! The imperative Paul uses is translated in several ways: have this attitude; have this mind, and you must think. Paul is not suggesting we should live this way. He is challenging us to intentionally follow the model of living that Jesus demonstrated for us! Jesus always had the best interest of others in mind when he encountered and engaged in their lives, and so must we!

Let me put some flesh on these words by sharing an example of this kind of life. I have a dear friend, Russell, who has been in a discipling relationship with me for over ten years. His day job is in the insurance business. However, for over twenty years, he has invested in the lives of young men, ages nine to fifteen, as a baseball coach. The boys on his team will learn the basics about the game, but most importantly, they will learn about developing and demonstrating godly character on and off the field. Russell takes a personal interest in each of the boys on his team and in their parents’ lives. In many instances, Russell becomes a father figure to those growing up in broken homes, which abound in our culture.

By the time these boys graduate from his team, they have had a front-row seat to see a man who embodies the love of Jesus and who is engaged in his community. Russell’s impact is so profound that many of these boys, years later, ask him to officiate their weddings or to preside over a memorial service for a parent or family member. Each day, this disciple of Jesus quietly but intentionally attempts to be Jesus “with skin on” for those around him.

Russell is one of many men I know who wake up each morning aware that they are joining Jesus in his mission to expand the kingdom of God wherever he sends them throughout the day. Regardless of their vocational context: federal agencies, hospitals, health care industries, public schools and universities, real estate, music arts, information technology, customer service, and even in retirement, each man desires to be a visible image of Jesus through his talents, words, and deeds.

Would the people who know you best be able to say the same about you? Is there any room for improvement in your discipleship to Jesus? Perhaps it’s time for an upgrade in your kingdom assignment. One of these men reminded a group of like-minded disciples early this morning through a text of a challenging word from his Rabbi Jesus. When this passage from Matthew 5:48 was shared with me by one of these brothers, I agreed it would be a fitting way to conclude this theme. In a selfie-saturated world, may these ancient words of Jesus speak to you clearly as you reflect on his word through the mind and heart of the late Eugene Peterson.

“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”[11]

This post originally appeared at: Disciples Don’t Take Selfie-Selfies — The Bonhoeffer Project

[1] https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/selfie
[2] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-is-the-first-selfie-ever-180948114/
[3] https://selfiewrld.com
[4] https://selfiewrldorlando.com
[5] Genesis 11:1-5
[6] Isaiah 53:6
[7] Isaiah 56:11
[8] Jeremiah 18:12
[9] Psalm 81:12
[10] 2 Timothy 3:1-2
[11] Matthew 5:48, MSG