Today's Scripture Matthew 16:25
25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Jesus said that we are supposed to lose our life for His sake in order to find it. We are supposed to give in order to be given back to...good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over (see Luke 6:38). We cannot truly love as long as we are only looking out for ourselves. Human nature will always strive to protect and preserve itself.
The nature of the flesh is to make sure nobody takes advantage of us. If I forgive someone and he turns around and hurts me again in the same way, I’m probably not going to forgive him a second time, let alone a third. But if that’s the way I act, I am not walking in God’s love. As long as we are looking out only for ourselves, we will never know how to walk in love.
Selfishness is the greatest hindrance to loving others. Human flesh is supremely selfish; it always looks out for its own welfare first. There is no selfishness in the God-kind of love, however. This is why we cannot walk in the flesh and walk in love. We will never know how to love as long as we’re more concerned about ourselves than we are about others. Love gives itself freely and places the welfare of others ahead of its own.