Selfish Ambition
Hebrews 13:16
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God
Back in the mid 80s the Minnesota DNR had a 'once in a lifetime' moose tag draw. Because it required a party of four applicants, my good friend Max, his son Mark, me and my wife Carol all put our names on the 4 person permit application.
It was in early summer when we saw the permit show up in our mail boxes. Our group was officially drawn and entitled to shoot one moose in an area north of Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Only one of us would get to shoot the moose, but we all would get to partake in the fun and the work. Selfishly I hoped I would be the guy pulling the trigger. By early September we headed north on a scouting trip. Moose were spotted, farm doors were knocked on, and our plans were coming together.
About a month later, just a few miles south of Canada, we were all trying to fill our moose tag. It was on the afternoon of the second day of the hunt, when I heard the bark of Max's Winchester 88 echo through the timber. A bull was down and we were tagged out. Together we got the big bull field dressed and with the help of the farmer we got the bull loaded and home. By the end of the next day there was a lot of meat in the freezer and enough good memories to fill a second freezer.
I must confess that even though it was a great hunt, I was a little disappointed in not shooting the moose. The scriptures remind us to not be selfish, but instead to act in the best interests of others. Sometimes it's hard for me to not be self centered, but instead think of others before myself as the scriptures teach.
In Philippians 2:3-4 we are told "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."
thanks Joel Raygor
friend of God's Great Outdoors
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