So Jesus’ brothers advised him, “Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing. For no one who seeks to make a reputation for himself does anything in secret. If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”
(John 7:3-4)

The Selfie Mindset isn’t just a modern invention… it was prevalent in biblical times as well. He we find Jesus’ brothers encouraging it. They suggested He should take His popularity to the next level by performing miracles in Jerusalem – the center of the Jewish world. In essence they were saying, “If you want to be really famous, you’ve got to grow your platform. And you can’t do that from here in Galilee. You’ve gotta go to Jerusalem!”

But Jesus refused to be distracted from His mission. He possessed a keen sense of purpose. After all, it was never about Him or His fame. He remained focused on His destiny: the cross.

God has a plan for each of our lives as well. (see Eph. 2:10) In order to complete this mission we have to find our identity in who God says we are, rather than trying to get our 15 minutes of fame. The selfie mindset will sabotage us every time! (And the only way we’ll know what God says about us is to find it in the Bible.) This life isn’t about you or me… it’s all about God and the people He’s sending us to love and serve. If we can’t get this right, we’ll damage the lives of those around us and we’ll never see the fulfillment of God’s plan for our lives.

What do you do to keep your focus on God’s mission for your life?