The Oldest Thing I Own Is My Self-Focused Human Nature

Daily writing prompt
What’s the oldest thing you own that you still use daily?

The oldest thing that I own and still use today is my self-focused human nature. I was born with it. The more I give in to it and obey its thoughts, feelings, and desires, the more messed up I become. The more I die to it and obey God as He speaks in my conscience, the better my mental health becomes and the more inner peace I have.

I fight to resist and avoid using my self-focused human nature, but I still slip into it from time to time. The Bible describes it this way: According to Psalm 14:3 and 53:3, every human has been corrupted to the point that even when we try there is none of us who does good — not even one. Romans 3:10 quotes those two Psalms and says: “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

No wonder the world in in such a mess. No wonder it’s so easy to feel like I’m a mess. I’m in the same situation that Paul the Apostle was when he wrote: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25) Apart from the risen Jesus, I can do nothing good (John 15:5) but denying myself, (Luke 9:23) allowing Christ to live in me, (Colossians 1:27) and letting Him lead me by His Spirit (Romans 8:14) is my hope of glory. That’s what true Christianity is about.

Christianity’s about:

  • Supernatural healing, deliverance, and salvation, not about superficial religion. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
  • Being humble, not being haughty. (James 4:6)
  • Hungering and thirsting for righteousness, not about hungering and thirsting for entertainment. (Matthew 5:6)
  • Self-denial, not about self-righteousness. (Luke 18:9-14)
  • Being pure in heart, not about being conformed to contemporary culture. (Matthew 5:8)
  • Being Spirit-led moment-by-moment, not about being spiritually dead. (Romans 8:14)
  • Direct personal revelation from God, not about religious consumerism. (Matthew 16:17)
  • Being compassionate not being cruel. (Matthew 25:34-46) Cruelty comes from captivity to fear.
  • Peace that passes understanding, not about political pride. (Philippians 4:7)
  • Seeking first the kingdom of God, not about self-seeking. (Matthew 6:33) To seek first the kingdom of God is to listen to and obey the risen King Jesus above every other authority and desire.
  • The Creator of the Universe who became a man, was crucified, rose from the dead, and actively lives, speaks, and works in His followers today. It’s not about any other Jesus. (John 1:1-5 & 14) & (2 Corinthians 11:4)

Passive people
Sitting in rows
Hearing the things
A preacher says,
Which of you knows
Jesus who rose?

We humans have made a lot of messes, but letting Trump take control won’t fix them. Only letting Jesus take control can do that.

Photo by Serje Lahoud on Pexels.com
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About Steve Simms

I like to look and think outside the box. In college I encountered Jesus Christ and I have been passionate about trying to get to know Him better ever since. My wife and I long to see the power and passion of the first Christ-followers come to life in our time. I have written a book about our experiences in non-traditional church, called, "Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible--Ekklesia." If you need encouragement, search for: Elephants Encouraging The Room and/or check out my Amazon author page. Thank you!
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6 Responses to The Oldest Thing I Own Is My Self-Focused Human Nature

  1. evamsz's avatar evamsz says:

    Terrific piece. So well thought out and straight to the point. Thank you for this. God bless.

  2. Hubert Mboya's avatar Hubert Mboya says:

    How comes I had the same feeling? The human being is the most useful oldest thing I have. Especially in this era of AI. Hello from Kenya!

  3. This was very powerful.

  4. Honey S.'s avatar Honey S. says:

    This was wonderful. Thank you so much for this.

Leave a reply to evamsz Cancel reply