Rejecting Self-Interest: Embracing God’s Kingdom Values

ByMarc Peter

To my fellow Christians: the Kingdom of God that Jesus announced is fundamentally different from many values present in American culture. It is not centered on personal rights or privileges, nor on capitalistic wealth-building, nor on securing our own safety and well-being at the expense of others. Instead, it calls us to a radically self-giving life—one that considers others more significant than ourselves, lays down its life for neighbors, and actively seeks justice, loves mercy, and walks humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

We are instructed in Leviticus 19:33-34, Deuteronomy 10:17-19, Hebrews 13:2, and James 1:27 to care for the vulnerable: orphans, widows, strangers, and immigrants.

Two hands exchanging bowls of food at a communal meal service, emphasizing generosity and care for others.
photo credit: kuarmungadd

God’s Kingdom is not built on self-interest, but on self-giving love. If we find ourselves resistant to these values—If our national identity, political ideologies and agendas, or our religious habits have become so entwined with our faith that we struggle to perceive the heart of God’s Kingdom, then I believe we need a reawakening to the call of Jesus to live as his disciples. I echo the prayer of Paul on our behalf:

“I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14-21)

Let us not be content with a version of faith that reflects the patterns of this world more than the heart of our Savior, Jesus. Instead, may we be continually formed by the Spirit of Christ, who, though he had every right to power, chose instead the way of humility, sacrifice, and love.

If you’re open to further input for reflection, I encourage you to read this thoughtful and timely piece: “Thou Shalt Not Dominate Just Because You Can” by Andrew Osenga.
https://open.substack.com/pub/andrewosenga/p/thou-shalt-not-dominate-just-because

And because I’m a Life Coach, let me end with some Questions for Reflection:

  1. What assumptions or beliefs do I bring to my understanding of God’s Kingdom?
  2. What voices have most shaped how I see justice, power, and sacrifice?
  3. What does faithfulness look like when my values are challenged?
  4. What makes it hard to see others as more significant than myself?
  5. What do I protect most fiercely—and what do I have to lose if I don’t protect it?
  6. What stories or scriptures do I avoid because they unsettle me?
  7. What happens when I imagine Jesus speaking into my cultural context?
  8. What have I equated with “faith” that might not belong there?
  9. What part of love feels most costly for me right now?
  10. What am I being invited to release—or to pick up?

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