Today’s devotional is based on the subject of self-pity. But this is not a study devoted to pointing out other people’s sin. After all, people whom we judge to be caught in self-pity may actually have clinical depression or other valid sorrows. God does not view their sadness as self-pity, nor does He call it sin. Let’s make the study today more about examining ourselves rather than looking at others. Or if we see someone in distress, how about engaging them with concern and care? They may need a listening, trustworthy friend.
1 John 5:17-18 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. We know that whoever is born of God doesn’t sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn’t touch him.
Have you ever known a professing believer who is filled with self-pity? It’s hard to be around someone like that for extended periods of time. Their demeanor tends to pull everyone around them into their world of negativity.
This study is not an attack on anyone caught in any habitual sin. That would be judgment, which is also a sin.
Hopefully, this will be an encouragement for each of us in one of two ways. Either we will see ourselves and go to our Lord for His gracious help, or we will help someone we know who is caught in this trap, to see their way out—through the Spirit and the power of the Cross.
Weeping Willow
I would venture to say that most believers have allowed themselves to be stuck at times in the mire of self-pity. Believe it or not, self-pity is a symptom of selfishness and sinful pride.
Pride is the sin that Lucifer indulged in. His prideful arrogance led him to want God’s place. Pride is one of his chief tools used to aid us in ruining our lives by convincing us to doubt God. This sin also causes harm to others and most importantly, to dishonor God.
Let’s take a look at a Bible character whose dip into the sea of self-pity got her a loving reprimand from Jesus.
Martha. I bet we all remember her story from Sunday School. We know that she was the sister of Lazarus. Jesus brought him back to life after being dead four days.
There are other details about Martha’s life plainly found in scripture. She and her family loved Jesus both as a friend and as their Savior and Lord.
Here is a link to learn things about Martha that you may have never known.
Martha strikes me as being a busy, no-nonsense kind of person. I bet she was the sort of woman who my daughter would describe as having had no “OFF” button. Probably, Martha had a sincere desire to serve others.
The problem is, this attribute can become sinful. Selfishness, jealousy and pride are the hallmarks of this avoidable personality flaw.
When believers fall into this sinful pattern, it makes their God given gift unappealing to the world and to other believers.
Think about someone who has the spiritual gift of serving others. When they fall into sinful habits their spiritual gift becomes off-putting. They are consumed by letting everyone know how hard they are working or how others have mistreated them.
Life can become uncomfortable. Everyone feels like they are walking on eggshells, and the disgruntled party actually blames the very people they are serving.
Haven’t you noticed that people caught in selfish sins are quick to make remarks, like, “Why are you being so sensitive?”
I can imagine that Martha had plenty of those moments.
So, while the believer is using their spiritual gift of service, they are undoing it all by making people feel badly for just being in the same room.
Self-pity, like Martha experienced, demands attention and accolades for a job well done. But all this sinful attitude does is to alienate others. It doesn’t draw anyone to see Jesus. And don’t forget, sin still alienates believers from God. 1
Where is Jesus in all of this? He is patiently working in a believer’s life to bring them back to the right place.
Restoration.
Job 23:10 But he knows the way that I take. When he has tried me, I will come out like gold.
Jesus loved Martha and her family as dear friends. His love for her is revealed in how He addresses Martha in her weakness. 41 Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,
Can’t you just picture Jesus, with a warmth in His voice and a desire for her to let the worries and trivialities of life just go?
Jesus would never have made her feel like a failure. That would not have given Him the opportunity to rob the sin that was ruining her day.
He wanted her to see what Mary saw. The Savior of the world was a visitor in her house. And He was there to share His wonderful plan for everyone there.
The next time Jesus visited with Mary and Martha was four days after the death of Lazarus. In this passage we saw a distinctly different Martha.
Even though she was undoubtedly grieving over the loss of her brother, Martha had not lost faith in Jesus. His loving reprimand did not push her away. Instead, she greeted Jesus as He entered Bethany.
Mary, according to scripture remained at home. We don’t know why, although it’s possible she remained behind to tend to the mourners.
Martha, full of faith, tells Jesus that Lazarus would not have died if He had gotten there sooner.
John 11:21-22 Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”
Read Martha’s statement of faith in John 11:25-27
Of course, you know the rest of the story of Lazarus. That is for another study. In the meantime, why not click the link to read it one more time. You may find something in the story that you’ve been missing.
So, whether you are the child of God stuck in the sinful habit of self-pity, or if you know someone trapped in that detrimental cage, there is a Helper just waiting to show the way out.
Always follow the Bible’s wisdom when it comes to helping believers stuck in habitual sin. Truly, all we can do is pray for them, and when they have receptive hearts, we can show them specific passages in the Bible.
The Spirit does the work in helping each believer grow. Refer to the resources below for help.
The Way Out
Soli Deo Gloria!
* “…all iniquity is comprehended under the name of sin, but yet we must not despair…, because every sin is not deadly, and without hope of remedy.
“A reason why not all, indeed, no sin is mortal to some: …because they are born of God, that is to say, made the sons of God in Christ, and being endued with his Spirit, they do not serve sin, neither are they deadly wounded of Satan.” Geneva Bible Footnotes Ca. 1599
(Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.)
Gotquestions.org/howcaniovercomeahabitualsin
- gotquestions.org
“How Does Sin Separate Us From God” ↩︎
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 