Fighting Selfishness

I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.

John 15:5 (CEV)

Some movies show us how villains become evil. In the newer Cruella movie, viewers are given a glimpse of what Cruella was like as a little girl. When people were mean to her, she wanted to get revenge. She would do bad things to get the things she wanted.

The truth is, we all are tempted to be mean. It’s natural to be selfish, thinking about yourself instead of others, but we also have the opportunity to choose what we’re going to do—be kind or be selfish?

Imagine a force so powerful it can make even the meanest, most selfish people loving and kind. Jesus is like that force. When you stay connected to Jesus, he changes your selfish desires. He works on your heart to help you want to do good. You will still mess up sometimes, but he will forgive you as soon as you ask and always help you try again.

Reflecting on today’s Scripture reading: how do you, the branch, connect to Jesus, the vine? Stay close to him through reading the Bible and praying. Without him, it’s impossible to please God. With him, we can do good things—great things!

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Think about your favorite stories or movies. What choices do the characters make between right and wrong? Create a story of the worst villain becoming a good person . . . and be sure to include how Jesus’s power changes that person’s heart! Draw the main scenes in a journal or on some paper.

PRAY

Jesus, sometimes I only think about myself! Please take over my life and help me fight selfishness.

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help you expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

Psalm 51:10

Ezekiel 36:26–27

John 15:13

1 Corinthians 13:3

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This devotional was written by Tonia Gutting for the Hero Squad Program of the American Bible Society. Hero Squad provides complimentary faith-based resources to strengthen and encourage Military families through God’s Word. For more information or to enroll your Military family, check out our website.www.myherosquad.org.