My good friend, Dr. Roger Patterson, pastor of Houston’s West University Baptist Church, recently preached an amazing sermon on marriage. Roger addressed the subject of selfishness. He said selfishness manifests itself in marriage in four ways:
- Pride
- Past wounds
- Fear
- Control
Few things are more damaging to a marriage than selfishness. And that’s a problem for addicts because selfishness drives our behavior. We want what we want when we want it. But the Bible offers a different approach.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).
So how do we respond? I think it’s pretty simple. Live the next 24 hours by putting your spouse (or someone else if you aren’t married) ahead of yourself.
Recovery Step: Ask God for wisdom to know what you can do to bless your husband, wife, or some other important person in your life.
