New Wineskins 15 of 21 – Unselfish Love

Ask the Holy Spirit to implant in you His principle of unselfish love today:

John strove to lead the believers to understand the exalted privileges that would come to them through the exercise of the spirit of love. This redeeming power, filling the heart, would control every other motive and raise its possessors above the corrupting influences of the world. And as this love was allowed full sway and became the motive power in the life, selfishness, the principle of the kingdom of Satan, would be uprooted from the heart, and their trust and confidence in God and His dealing with them would be complete. They could then come to Him in full confidence of faith, knowing that they would receive from Him everything needful for their present and eternal good. (Adapted from Ed 154 and AA 552)

Dear Heavenly Father,

I praise You Lord, for You are GOOD!  You are unselfish in all Your ways; a God of justice, but also a God of mercy—who devised this incredible plan to deliver me from my sin, though at a great cost to Yourself. I am ashamed because I bear Your name and yet, do not always act like Your child, an heir to Your throne.

I want the unselfishness of Jonathan, who knew Your decree had set him aside from his right to the throne, and yet became a faithful friend to his rival, even shielding David’s life at the peril of his own.  I relinquish all rights to my throne in any relationship!  Take charge, O God!

I want the self-renunciation of John the Baptist, who as His popularity waned, declared, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

As Job, in abject despair as he faced so many losses, I want to think in my heart and say out loud, “Though He slay me yet will I trust Him!”

And as You, Jesus, our ultimate example, who did your Father’s will rather than Your own–taking the cup for me!

These names are “treasured in heaven,” standing as a “witness to the existence and the power of unselfish love.”

I also want to vindicate Your name in my character!  So God, I give You my will, my permission to do this fearful, yet necessary work in me, so my life will also disprove Satan’s claim that Your principles of action are selfish!  Forgive my self-seeking ways, for they are many; uproot them from my heart. Take out this heart of stone and give me Your heart of flesh and put Your Spirit within me and cause me to walk in Your statues and keep Your judgments and do them!  Today, help me exercise my trust and confidence in You; may Your agape love have full sway in my life, affecting every person I have contact with today.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

   You know my sitting down and my rising up;

   You understand my thought afar off;

   You comprehend my path are acquainted with all my ways.

 How precious are Your thoughts toward me, O God, How great the sum of them!

   Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
 My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

I will praise You with my whole heart; I will tell of Your marvelous works,

I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name.

For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. 

Though You are on high, yet You regards the lowly

You visit the earth and water it, 

You greatly enrich it,

You water its ridges abundantly,

You make it soft with showers,

You bless its growth.

And I pray this in the name of Jesus, the One who stooped so low for me, Amen.

Ellen White said that Jesus sang Psalm 66—and portions of Psalms 68 and 72—often.  Choose one and pray it, asking God to keep your focus on Him today, and to give you the spirit of unselfishness toward everyone today!

Ez 36: 26, 27; Ed 154; John 3:30; Job 13:15; Ps. 73:25,26; Ps. 139:1+; Ps. 138; Ps.65; 3BC 1148