Lurking Beneath The Surface

Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. (Philippians 2:3a, NLT)

Good Morning!

I looked through our kitchen window admiring the freshly mowed green grass in our backyard. It looked beautiful until . . . a patch of ground began shaking and moving . . . and then . . . a gopher pushed up and through the ground, leaving a pile of dirt behind. While it looked good, there was an actual problem lurking beneath the surface of our yard.

The Apostle Paul discussed the truth of what lurks beneath our personal life in Philippians 2:

Don't be selfish: In the New Testament Greek language, the Apostle Paul explains the joy of unity is experienced through doing nothing out of selfishness. That said, there are times that people feel overwhelming pressure from circumstances and respond to the pressure. The focus to reduce the pressure consumes an individual’s thoughts, words, and actions. Thus, the response to remove the pressure places a focus on self rather than on the leading of the Spirit of God. Yikes! Selfishness may be out of control in this stress and pressure-filled era.

Does selfishness lurk beneath your behavior?

Don't live to make a good impression on others: Authenticity is a sought after commodity. Too many work at looking put-together as if they have everything all-together; however, there are wrong behaviors behind the pretense of genuine conduct. People may succumb to stress, respond wrongly in a situation, hide their wrong behavior, and justify their less then real authenticity. An individual stops being who they are when wrong behavior lurks beneath the surface of his or her life.

Is anything lurking beneath the surface of your life?

Have you left a pile of “dirt” somewhere?

Get real. Be authentic. Follow the way of Christ Jesus.

Learning with you to be honest about something lurking beneath the surface of life,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2007 All Rights Reserved)