SELF INTEREST OR SELF SACRIFICE.
Every soul untouched by the converting influence of the Spirit of God will seek its own interests, its own exaltation, above the interests and preferment of others. But no interests of eternal worth, and no exaltation in the eternal kingdom, will ever come to any single soul that has sought for exaltation or put forward the interests of self. The spirit which actuates the true Christian, the winning Christian, who wins souls, and in that winning wins eternal life—that spirit “in lowliness of mind” leads a man to esteem others “better than himself.” That spirit leads its possessor to cease giving anxious thought to his own personal interests and begin to look to the interests of others. There is a wonderful lesson for us in this matter in the example of Christ. He could have stayed in heaven, honored by His Father and by the multitudes of angels, and have left man to meet the doom which his disobedience entailed; but He did not look to the glory of His own surroundings; He did not hesitate at the sufferings through which He must pass. He did look upon the interests of the fallen race, upon their sufferings, upon their doom, and then interposed Himself to suffer in their stead that they might again come into the inheritance they had sold to an enemy. The example of Christ in that great act is meant to be the example for our whole course of life. “Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.” Phil. 2: 5-7. Let us notice what that led Him to do, and what the result is of what He did: “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted Him, and gave unto Him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Verses 8-11. To what greater exaltation could any being in the universe possibly aspire? It is evident that to just such a station Lucifer did aspire, all for the glory of self and in the flattery-loving pride of a selfish heart. Through that ambition he fell, and carried with him a train of angels that saddened heaven and a train of consequences that has saddened the earth. There are the two examples, a shining and a terrible spectacle to angels and to men. The one is a beckoning hand, inviting to life and joy and eternal riches; the other a danger signal warning against the deepest sorrow, and a night of death that has no single ray of light. How shall we escape the one and attain the other? Because that in lowliness of mind and humility of purpose Christ took up a life-work for man, “wherefore also God highly exalted Him.” We ought also so to walk even as He walked. We, in our fallen natures, can do it only by His help; but that is promised; and that is the key to the situation. That humbling of self and service for man was the “secret” of success in Christ’s mission. That “secret” He has published as far and as wide as His Gospel has gone; and every son and daughter of Adam is earnestly entreated to make use of it, and triumph in the victory of Him who first employed it and made it known to man. Selfishness is foredoomed to failure. Make personal interests first, and there is no place for you in the economy of the eternal realm. There are no “mansions” in heaven for us if we are dominated by that idea. Let us take to heart the lesson that is written for our learning, follow the example of Christ, and enter with Him into the eternal inheritance.