Prayer Tip--Selfishness or Selflessness?

What really drives us from day to day? Is it just the instinct to protect ourselves—to make life safe, comfortable, and under control? Or is there something deeper calling us? A tug toward something bigger than us, something that asks us to live not just for ourselves, but beyond ourselves?

Most of us feel that tension. Whether you’re just starting to explore faith, or you’ve been around church your whole life, the question still shows up: Will I live for me, or will I live for something more?

Jesus speaks right into that moment. In Matthew 16:24, he says, “If anyone wants to follow me, they must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.”

That can sound intimidating, but it’s not about hating yourself or chasing after suffering. Denying yourself means loosening your grip on the idea that everything’s about you. It’s saying no to the need to control, win, or always come first. And taking up your cross? That’s not about carrying guilt or pain—it’s about stepping into your unique way of loving and serving, even when it costs something.

Because here’s the truth: an inwardly turned life—one that’s always focused on what I want, what I need, what works for me—doesn’t lead to freedom. It leads to loneliness, fear, and smallness. Real freedom comes when we turn outward—toward God, toward others, toward love. That’s the life Jesus invites us into.

Ephesians 5:2 says, “Live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” That’s what love looks like: not self-protective, but self-giving. And Galatians 2:20 reminds us that when we live this way, we’re not alone: “It’s no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

So—where are you today? Stuck in your own little world, or ready to open up and follow Jesus toward something fuller, freer, and far more meaningful?