Thursday – Letters

Reading – 2 Timothy 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you read on, you find Paul describing a bunch of different ways that people act selfishly.

I could point out that these must be the last days because there are so many people who act selfishly. Some in our society even claim that selfish behavior is good calling on their supreme value of tolerance.

Of course, I could point out that people have acted that way for centuries. And you could point out that it seems worse today.

That is likely true but that’s not where my thoughts are taking me now.

My thoughts today can be summed up with an old parable about the difference between heaven and hell.

In Hell, there are a bunch of people sitting at a huge feast, but they are not allowed to eat with their hands, and they are only allowed to use utensils that are too long for them to get the food to their mouths. Everyone is in agony because they can’t eat.

Heaven is an identical room with the same feast and the same utensils and the same rules, but people are filled with joy because they are feeding each other.

Now, I don’t know how theologically correct that is. It’s certainly and oversimplification of Heaven and Hell. But it points out how much we miss out on when we act out of selfishness.

A culture of selfishness will eventually collapse under its own weight.

A culture of giving will flourish with joy.

What are some ways that we can influence people to be selfless instead of selfish?
What rewards have you see in your life when you act out of selflessness?