It’s a Selfie World, After all

October 28, 2019

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 1 Timothy 6:17

Right now, all over the world, thousands of people are taking selfies. Google-released stats inform us that every single day, 90 million people will take selfies and process them through Google pictures. Last year, 240 billion (yep—that’s with a “b”) uploaded selfies. Can you imagine how many there would be if we counted all the pictures that were discarded because they weren’t perfect enough? Selfies can go terribly wrong. Posting the wrong picture of you at a ballgame might cost you your job if you called off work. Even worse—did you know that in the last 2 years, 50+ people died trying to get the perfect selfie, and the stats say we are more likely to suffer death by selfie than by shark attack! Hard to know whether to cry or laugh about that. It seems we really are obsessed with ourselves and the impressions we make.

In his first letter to Timothy that we have recorded for us, Paul spoke to Timothy about the things people in his culture used to create their own impression and self-satisfaction. One of the things was their money. It still is true today—whether we have a large enough bank account to make us impressive or not, what money we do have goes in large degree to accent and improve the things we DO feel will make us most impressive: clothes, physical alterations, cars, homes, etc.

Some of us gain our recognition and applause from performance, such as business, dramatic, athletic, or academic achievement. To all of us, Paul would invite us to fill in the blank: “Teach those who are ____________ not to be proud and trust in their ___________, which is so unreliable. (You know THAT’S true! You can lose your money, your health, your family—anything—in a moment!) Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.”

In a selfie world, humility honors the fact that I am a steward of all that has been given me. I am managing it for Him, and He makes certain I have all that I need. It is gratefully realizing that anything anyone has is because it has been given to them, and gratitude, not arrogance and pride, is the appropriate and satisfying response.

In a selfie world, humility joyfully makes certain that the impression I make is for Jesus, so my trust is in Him, not in me.

• Lord Jesus, I often struggle with seeing myself accurately. I try to build abilities and resources that I think will get me the acceptance, approval, and applause I crave. I know deep in my heart that what I need can only come from You. Help me joyfully and willingly trust You, not me. I want to live in Your world, not my selfie world. Amen.