3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.
24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. 37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
1 An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.
4 Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. 5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
20 A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
22 A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.
25 A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.
23 A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
“How quickly the moon of selfish ambition eclipses the Sun of Righteousness. But where sin increased, Jesus’s grace abounded all the more.” Jon Bloom
“It is another one of those ‘immutable laws of the universe’ where sharing, caring and giving trumps self-centered, narcissistic and selfish every time.” Anonymous
“Emptyme of the selfishness inside. Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride. Empty me of me so I can be filled with You.” Chris Sligh
“Instead of being unhappy, just let your love grow as God wants it to grow. Seek goodness in others. Love more persons more… unselfishly, without thought of return. The return, never fear, will take care of itself.” Henry Drummond
“Grumbling and complaining denotes a dissatisfied heart with God’s plan for our lives. When we murmur and wail over our circumstance we demonstrate our lack of contentment with His provisions for us and, as the “rabble” complained about the manna, it incites God’s anger. So often we are consumed by selfish ambitions and vain conceits with a penchant for every sort of self-indulgence. Comfort becomes not a luxury but a necessity and almost a “god” in our eyes. Our giftings are meant to lead us into selfless service with a pure heart. Indeed, that is where the abundant life is found. Watch your hearts and guard against dissatisfaction – whatever that may look like in your life.” BHY
“If I really love God, my innate and persistent selfishness will have received its death blow.” Alexander Smellie
“There is something contagious about a heart of love. People who are selfless with their love can make giant waves in this world where those who cling to selfish desires cause only ripples. In fact, those who have hearts of love view the people around them as being most important. A heart that bears the marks of God’s intimate love is not a selfish heart. When we look directly into God’s heart of love, we are transformed forever. The selfish desires that once dominated our heart’s landscapes vanish in an instant, replaced by a desire to lavish love on others. As God begins to transform our hearts through His grace and kindness, we become vessels willing to reciprocate this type of love. Something happens inside of us. We begin to realize the twofold effect of loving God and loving others - not just friends and family, but others who cross our paths every day. Hardened hearts begin to melt beneath the warmth of Christ’s love overflowing from our lives. People who we never thought would let the name of Jesus roll off their lips suddenly praise Him because we have taken the time to love them the way God has commanded us to love. Once we learn how to abide in His love, our feelings of jealousy, greed, and anger die a quick death. A true champion extends grace and kindness because he knows the transformation that has taken place in his own heart, and he realizes those who receive God’s love and grace have no other course of action but to give God’s love away.” Michael Youssef
“Gratitude is what we experience when we perceive that what we have received is an undeserved gift of God’s grace. It is a fruit of humility; it’s inherently unselfish. We don’t feel true gratitude toward ourselves, but only towards someone else who treats us better than we deserve.” Jon Bloom
“Holy obedience puts to shame all natural and selfish desires.” Francis of Assisi
“One act of war against pride is to marvel at the army of grace at our side, all the other grace-filled, grace-empowered members of the body of Christ. Pride selfishly sets itself — its wisdom, its gifts, its experience, its potential — above everyone else. It focuses on its own strengths and minimizes its own weaknesses, while at the same time magnifying others’ weaknesses and downplaying their strengths. And when it is confronted, pride tends to cave in on itself in self-consuming introspection and self-pity. Paul won’t allow the proud to retreat into ourselves, though. He draws our eyes, instead, away from ourselves to the awe-inspiring grace God has given to others. True humility does not quietly despise graces that are not its own, but loves them just as much, and even more.” Marshall Segal
“When we have an inordinate eagerness to seek our own gain - vying for more and more power and prestige – we will find ourselves chained to selfish ambition. Jesus tells us in all four Gospels that those who come to Him must deny self and take up our cross and follow hard after Him. If you desire to take hold of life that is truly life then lose self and make much of Him. He must become greater, we must become less.” BHY