Paul's list of bad behaviors in 2 Timothy 3 starts with “men will be lovers of self," then ends it “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.”
The list speaks about the behaviors of people in the end times, which could be where we are now. The list is ominous for relationships and society, especially in verse 13... "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! - 2 Timothy 3:1–5
Requires Self-examination
On the one hand, if any of these items sound uncomfortable, like the condition of relationships today, you are paying attention. How often do you hear someone talk about "needing some more me time" or "I need to pay attention to me more."
The world and we have a path of least resistance to "lovers of self."
But do not despair because there is still hope. That is what GR8 Relationships is about providing hope for relationships. However, hope does not come from focusing on you, flashing your ME, or loving yourself. Hope is directly linked to doing as Jesus did - pursue the best for and serve others.
If you have the idea of needing to focus on yourself, there is one way to do that the best. You can make a difference in at least one person’s life: yours.
What is the proper way to think about yourself – self-examination! That can lead to walking with the Spirit, who provides self-control.
Where's Your Love?
On the other hand, you may be living in the list shown above. You may believe what is taught regularly in schools and churches that "lovers of self" is something to strive toward.
How can you know if you are focused on being a lover of self? You need to ask yourself, “Where is my love? What do I value?" If you want to know the answers to those questions, try this. Open your calendar and look at where you spend your time. Now open your financial app and look at where you spend your money.
So, where do you spend your time and money?
Self More Than Others?
Do you love yourself (ME) more than others? Do you love ME more than God? Are you more consumed with thoughts about yourself than delighting in His nature, character, and works? Do you prefer spending time on your hobbies, house, clothes, work, books, music, boats, sports, and projects rather than soaking up the wisdom, mysteries, and wonders of THE BOOK written by your Creator, Savior, and Lord?
If so, then it is likely that you are in the "lovers of self" category more than the "lovers of God."
The point is not that you must read the Bible every minute of every day. It means being in His Word so that it will permeate your thinking and keep you constantly aware of how easy it is for your ME to flash.
Following the Holy Spirit rather than your sinful nature takes a deliberate choice.
Saturated with God's Word
In the past, I used a sponge to wash my car. I would use dishwashing soap that saturated the sponge. Since that was the only place that I used the sponge, it was challenging to rinse the soap out to use it for other purposes. Removing the soap would take a lot of water, and even then, some soap remained.
That is the picture of how much your mind needs to be saturated in God’s Word. Every day away from the Word, the world is trying to rinse and clean your mind from God’s ways to let your ME flash. Every day away from God's Word puts you clearly on the path to "lovers of self."
When you renew and saturate your mind with God’s thinking, you can do any of the humdrum menial daily tasks to His glory.
Keep the proper focus - serving others, pursuing their best - not serving ME.
"Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” does not suggest that we must choose between pleasure and God; for when we live for God, we enjoy the greatest pleasures (Psalms 16:11). The choice is between loving pleasure or loving God. – Warren Wiersbe
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