2nd Corinthians 5:15-17
"And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
Everyone's default is to live for themselves. It's human nature. And if that stays unchanged, we will live our whole lives for ourselves. Only through a radical re-creation by God can we break this pattern.
And it can get ugly. When we live for ourselves, our thought process is "What can you do for me?" Paul suggests that we even "once regarded Christ in this way". When this happens, some people decide Jesus is simply a model for a good life. Others decide he's just there to make them feel better about themselves. And still others decide there's nothing he can do for them and write him off altogether.
But the new creation changes everything. It changes how we regard Christ and those around us. If we are "in Christ", we are now able to stop asking "What can you do for me?" and start asking "What can I do for you?" And when we ask this, we are no longer regarding anyone from a worldly point of view.
Today, ask yourself (as you read your Bible), "What can I do for Jesus today?"
Then ask "What can I do for others today?"
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