“Me”… My Number One Problem!

Jeremiah 5; Jeremiah 6; John 12
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Scripture

John 12

23 Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.

24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.

25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.

26 Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

Observation

The biggest problem that you have in your marriage is not your spouse, no it is not him or if you are a guy it is not her, no it is “you”. We are so full of ourselves that the only thing that many of us can see as a solution to our problems is a divorce… like that is going to get that person out of our lives.

Dying to self is the only way to make a marriage work and it is the only way to have healthy relationships. He hurt my feelings or she doesn’t give me any respect…well a dead person doesn’t have feelings that can be hurt and doesn’t need respect. If you are dead…you are dead…period. Our problem is that we are way too alive and concerned way too much for “Numero 1”.

But all we care about is ourselves! Thank goodness Jesus didn’t decide to think about only Himself and thank goodness that He didn’t opt out of dying for you and for me.

Marriage is a forever kind of commitment and that is what you promised God and that is what you promised your spouse when you said, “I do”. You didn’t say, “I might”. I recently have heard of marriages breaking up after 25, 30, even 38 years of being together and I say that is ridiculous. It is a spiritual problem, a heart problem. It is a love problem, but not just a problem with each other but I guarantee you that their first love is not Jesus either! They will rationalize and they will blame each other, but they need to examine their hearts and get right with God. I don’t care if your wife spits in your face and curses at you every time you walk into the door …love her…she is your wife. I don’t care if she has completely lost her mind or if she is sleeping with other men and bragging about it…love her.

Love is dying to self. Love is dying to “me”. Look hard at your life today. How much of your life is driven by “self”?

Application

I plan to think more about Kathy today than I think about myself and do something special for her today.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me Kathy and not a wife like some guys I know are married to. She is the best gift that you could have ever given me. She is well worth dying for and I would die for her in a heartbeat. Help me never to think more about myself than I do about her. I pray for my friends that want to give up on their marriages. I pray that you do something to keep them from bailing out on their commitment to you and to each other. Help me model for my kids, for my grandchildren, and for our church the kind of love that a man should have for his wife. I pray that you bless Kathy today. I pray that you give her the energy that she needs to serve you and a desire to follow you with all of her heart. I pray for my friends Jeanie and John Seale that you heal John and may he have a full recovery from this recent stroke. In Jesus Name Amen.

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