“For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — comes not from the Father but from the world.”
– 1 John 2:16
According to Ronald Rolheiser, there are three things that get in the way of you and me living a Spirit-filled life. The first one is egotism. He actually says narcissism, but I think that’s too extreme of a word. Egotism is a little better because it describes what all of us struggle with. Although it takes many forms, in essence it says, “it’s all about me!” It often looks like reputation management and it can be motivated by the fear of what others will think of me. For instance, if I tell others that I heard from God or if I take a big risk, will my reputation take a hit? This egotism creates fear in our hearts and we miss out on the big things of God: the opportunities, the moves of the Spirit, and the great moments that come our way in life. We will talk tomorrow about the second thing that hinders the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. |
Prayer
God, please show me where reputation management gets in the way of a life filled with your Spirit.
Reflection
In what ways do you relate to the struggle with egotism? How can you grow beyond it?
One Response
By thinking that you’re better than others ‘ peoples but even bragging about accomplishments for that the gifts came from Almighty GOD giver of gifts that we do have to help our brothers’ keeper always & forever more!