James 3:16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
Where “self” rules, things tend to spin out of control. This happens for individuals and groups. When people are too focused on themselves, they miss the clues from outside sources that their direction is ill advised. They don’t see their own crash coming.
Unfortunately, the overabundance of social media isn’t helping the situation. The “selfie” generation can be seen around the world. The a Japanese engineer invented the “selfie stick” and the world of “me” centered pictures became easy for almost anyone with an arm.
Our text follows after an appeal to the readers to show their good life by the deeds done in a humility that is powered by the wisdom gained from the Gospel. This wisdom precludes selfish ambition and envy. Where Jesus is Lord, there can be no other. Either He is in charge, or we are. We might delegate leadership to someone or something else, but in the end, we end up driving the train.
Think about the people you know who exhibit humility. They seem to fade into the background. When credit is given, they would rather be almost anywhere else. They don’t want the spotlight. They want people to see Jesus in their actions. Love is their goal.
Imagine for a moment a team of soccer players and every team member is unwilling to pass the ball. All they want to do is get the score for themselves. They are resistant to sharing in the success of the team. They want the credit.
How well do you think that team would do in a competition? They would stink! Soccer is about working as a team. No one player can advance the ball the full length of the field by themselves. Because of the rules, they must stay within certain zones. They need other players to access those zones to help move the ball forward.
Almost all sports require the effort of a team to be successful. And playing effectively as a team means that there must be shared effort and consequently shared glory when victory is achieved. There might be a star player, but all must be working toward the same goal or failure will result.
So it is in our individual lives. We need each other to be successful at the Gospel walk. Envy and selfish ambition lead to disorder and evil deeds. When we are too focused inward, we miss out on the perspective that working as the body of Christ brings.
But I hear of an increasingly expanding group of Christians who think they can walk the Gospel walk alone. They claim to not need church or any fellowship with other believers. They have their podcasts and live streams, so why do they need a local body?
Again, this is a perspective that is fueled by a selfish perspective on life. It may be possible to live in a cave in a cliff and remain a follower of Jesus, but being a fruitful member of His Body requires connection to other believers. We need to humbly accept this truth.
If we are too inward focused, this is when we loose perspective and get moved along the path of life by forces other than the Holy Spirit. When self is king, Jesus can’t be. And where Jesus’ is taken from the throne of you life, someone must sit in that seat. And if it is the self, then the moodiness and myopic perspective precludes consistent movement in one direction, leading to an unfruitful life.
The Arnold Journey 