Living for self vs. living for God

[whirlingmerc]

How important is personal happiness? What I am referring to is having material possessions, engaging in recreational activities that are fun, and engaging in activities that are physically pleasurable, oft referred to as the things of the flesh.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

I am sure there are many more verses like these but I do not have the time to look for them right now. Jesus certainly had the Spirit of God and the Truth from God.

One can look at this from a psychological, philosophical or a religious viewpoint. I used to look at it from a psychological viewpoint but now I look at it from a religious viewpoint.Consequently, I have done a complete 180 and the entire focus of my life has changed. I am a lot happier on a very deep spiritual level, but I look around me and everyone around me seems to be enjoying themselves in a materialistic sense, so I feel really left out. However, I cannot turn back the clock and go back to my old life when all I cared about was my personal happiness. I cannot consider that important anymore because I know it isn’t. I cannot justify such a life and I really don’t want one.

I am often feel like nobody understands how I feel, not even people who share my religion. Does anyone here understand how I feel?

My husband understands how I feel and he is on the same page although his focus is very different from mine. I tend to look at individuals in need and he looks at the crumbling of society. But neither one of us cares about material world enjoyments, except for the cats whom we both love more than anything.

So one might ask, why can’t I justify a life based upon personal happiness? Well, it is in the Writings of my religion and it is also in the Bible. Baha’u’llah wrote a lot about this subject. Here are a few passages:

“By self-surrender and perpetual union with God is meant that men should merge their will wholly in the Will of God, and regard their desires as utter nothingness beside His Purpose….. The station of absolute self-surrender transcendeth, and will ever remain exalted above, every other station.” Gleanings, p. 337

“It behoveth thee to consecrate thyself to the Will of God. Whatsoever hath been revealed in His Tablets is but a reflection of His Will. So complete must be thy consecration, that every trace of worldly desire will be washed from thine heart. This is the meaning of true unity.” Gleanings, p. 338

“Suffer not the habitation wherein dwellethMy undying love for thee to be destroyed through the tyranny of covetous desires, and overcloud not the beauty of the heavenly Youth with the dust of self and passion.” Gleanings, p. 323

“The Most Great Name beareth Me witness! How sad if any man were, in this Day, to rest his heart on the transitory things of this world! Arise, and cling firmly to the Cause of God. Be most loving one to another. Burn away, wholly for the sake of the Well-Beloved, the veil of selfwith the flame of the undying Fire, and with faces joyous and beaming with light, associate with your neighbor.” Gleanings, p. 316

This is a very high standard of behavior. Am I taking it too seriously, too literally? Am I being too austere? I just want to do right by God.

Of course, none of this is new. On this subject of living for self vs. living for God, Jesus said all the same things that Baha’u’llah later reiterated.

Matthew 16:23-26 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

But it seems to me as if purportedly religious people in American society generally just ignore these kinds of verses and keep doing what they are doing, living for the material world. The United States is submerged in a sea of materialism. It is thus no wonder I cannot find anyone who understands how I feel.

How can people call themselves followers of the One True God if all they think about are their own desires? I consider this hypocrisy. I am sure there are many devout Christians and other religious people who are not this way, but these are not the ones who I am surrounded by in my day to day life. I would certainly love to hear from some Christians or other religious people on this forum about how they live and what they consider important. That might help me counterbalance what I am normally exposed to.

In one sense it's a false dichotomy because the best thing you can do for yourself is live for God (and the one with the deepest and longest lasting joy)

 

[Trailblazer]

In one sense it's a false dichotomy because the best thing you can do for yourself is live for God (and the one with the deepest and longest lasting joy)

You are right, the best thing you can do for yourself is live for God.
Then why do you think that most people do not live for God, but rather for the material world and all it has to offer?
For a person to say one thing and do another is hypocrisy. What I see all around me are people living for themselves, for personal enjoyments, not for God.

 

[CG Didymus]

You are right, the best thing you can do for yourself is live for God.
Then why do you think that most people do not live for God, but rather for the material world and all it has to offer?
For a person to say one thing and do another is hypocrisy. What I see all around me are people living for themselves, for personal enjoyments, not for God.

Where do you draw the line where enough is enough? 'Cause there is never enough. A person can always give more.

Like what is happening right now in the United States. How can religious people deny help and asylum to those people that have left Central America? But some I'm sure do. Maybe they are even against allowing them into the country. Like some Baha'is, they will say "one planet, one people" but not get involved in helping these people. What reasons do they give? That they can't get involved with politics? They are busy doing other things that are more important?

I think most of us do put ourselves and our immediate family and needs ahead of sacrificing our time and money on helping others, even if our religious writings tell us to give all of ourselves. We'll give a little and then say that enough is enough, now I need "me" time.

 

[Trailblazer]

Where do you draw the line where enough is enough? 'Cause there is never enough. A person can always give more.

Like what is happening right now in the United States. How can religious people deny help and asylum to those people that have left Central America? But some I'm sure do. Maybe they are even against allowing them into the country. Like some Baha'is, they will say "one planet, one people" but not get involved in helping these people. What reasons do they give? That they can't get involved with politics? They are busy doing other things that are more important?

I think most of us do put ourselves and our immediate family and needs ahead of sacrificing our time and money on helping others, even if our religious writings tell us to give all of ourselves. We'll give a little and then say that enough is enough, now I need "me" time.

You are not a Baha’i and I do not even know if you believe in God, so you are not responsible to put God above your immediate family and needs. Baha’is have been called to rise above their own selfish desires. This is not coming from me, it is coming from Baha’u’llah. Baha’is either believe He infallibly represented God’s Will or not. I am not saying that we can all rise to the standard of service Baha’u’llah set forth but at least I think we need to acknowledge that the standard was set forth, even if it makes us feel unworthy.

I am not advocating having no “me time.” I am only advocating having less me time and more time for Service to the Cause of God, in whatever capacity people are able to serve. Obviously, those who have family responsibilities have to tend to those first, as it even says that in the Writings that family comes first.

But after that, what are we responsible for? I do not understand this push by the UHJ for the youth to bear the brunt of the responsibility for teaching the Cause, since they are just getting started in life, going to college and starting families of their own; thus they have more responsibilities than middle-aged and older Baha’is.

I am not advocating having no me time, I am only pointing out what most people do not want to hear... It is called sacrifice. If the early believers in the Heroic Age of the Baha’i Faith had not sacrificed their time, their families and even their lives, the Baha’i Faith would have gone nowhere. So, what’s happening now? There seems to be a new complacency in America since I became a Baha’i in 1970. I cannot help but connect that with the increase in materialism in America. In my opinion, attachment to the things of this world is probably the main reason for the complacency. This is not just my opinion, as Baha’u’llah made it perfectly clear that the things of the world are what come in between man and God.

I won’t quote the numerous passages that refer to self and world. These passages could not be more clearly written. The question is, if we really believe in Baha’u’llah, how can we just brush off what He wrote? It can only be that we do not really believe or that we really believe but put self before God. I am just being logical.