Get Outta Yo'Self - Guest Post by Chris Beltrami

            Col 3:2-3   Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.   For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

The success of dying to oneself is one of the great “keys” to fulfilling your life’s meaning and purpose.   It is also, conflictingly, one of the great “quarrels” of our flesh. 

Just when I think I am making some progress with this aspiration to selfless living, I discover that …  ‘Mother Theresa’?    I ain’t.

The other day, I had a decision to make.   Help out my friend.   Or not.   My quick split second thought was, “He really will be okay and I can remain where I am.”

2 minutes later I realized what a selfish thing I did, but he was gone and it was too late to reverse the decision.   Everything turned out okay, but I had to look in the mirror to face the self centeredness of my soul.   Really bad!    Although I saw the error reasonably quickly, I wondered why it wasn’t more instinctive to make the right decision. 

2 Cor 5:17  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a newcreature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Ephesians 4:24  “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

I got a bit discouraged with myself.  I thought:

“That came from my ‘heart’!   I’m supposed to be a new creature!   A new man!   With a new nature!   Awakened!   And eyes widened to a spiritual realm of righteous wonder!  Chris, can you just “get outta yo’self?”   

I, eventually realized that, as Sarah Young would remind us, I was “scattering my energy to the winds”.    I needed to get back in the race.   Be attentive and run with grit.    Stumble and trip a bit, but get back up.   And, keep my eyes fixed upon the goal.   

I will stay determined to do the right things, whether I feel like it or not.  With great faith, I’ll believe that my ‘new nature’ reactions will become more ‘natural’ as each day passes on and that I might just …  “get outta myself”.

Matthew 23:11  “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.”

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Chris Beltrami is one of New England's most award winning photographers. For decades he has used his position as a Christian businessman to influence others to consider the claims of Christ on their lives. He has been writing a monthly devotional called "Think About It" for many years. This article first appeared in the September 2015 edition of "Think About it."