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Others Before Myself
By Rev. Cassandra Liggett
As Christians we are obligated to view our actions in light of how they will affect other Christians. We will discover the Lord’s will for our lives when we consider His activity in the lives of others. This goes contrary to worldly thinking. The world encourages us to live our own life, taking care of our own needs and wants first. SIN promotes independence. It isolates us from others and separates us from those we could help or those who could encourage us. God designed us for interdependence.
Whenever we meet another Christian, we come face to face with Jesus:
John 13:20 nlt says “I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes “My messenger is welcoming Me, and anyone who welcomes Me is welcoming the Father who sent Me.” There ought to be a deep respect within us as we encounter other lives guided by the Holy Spirit. We should live as if we have a responsibility toward our Christian brothers and sisters. God holds us accountable for how we relate to them. Philippians 2:4 nkjv says “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
We have a responsibility to live in such a way that we do not hurt others. We must deny ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to put to death our natural inclination to be self-centered. (Galatians 5:16 nlt) “So I say, let the holy Spirit guide your lives. Then we won’t be doing what our sinful nature craves”. As long as we focus on ourselves, we will be oblivious to the needs of others. (Ephesians 2:10 TLB) “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago He planned that we should spend these lives helping others.” In prayer, we must ask the Lord to deliver us from selfishness and instill a
spirit of selflessness within us, so that our lives are free to Bless Others.
RULES FOR A BLESSED DAY
1. Today, I WILL NOT STRIKE BACK: If someone is rude; if someone is impatient; if someone is unkind, I will not respond in like manner. My response will be given through the Fruit of the Spirit living inside me. (Galatians 5:22-23 niv ) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law ”.
2. TODAY, I WILL ASK GOD TO BLESS MY ENEMIES: If I come across someone who treats me harshly or unfairly, I will quietly ask God to bless that individual. I understand that the enemy could be a family member, neighbor, co-worker or stranger. (Matthew 5:44-45 nkjv) “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
3. TODAY, I WILL BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I SAY: I will carefully choose and guard my words being careful that I do not spread gossip. (James 1:19 amp) “Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving];
4. TODAY, I WILL GO THE EXTRA MILE: I will find ways to help share the burden of another person. (Galatians 6:2-3 nlt) “Share each other's burdens, and in this way you obey the law of Christ.” “If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.”
5. TODAY, I WILL DO SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE – BUT I
WILL DO IT SECRETLY. I WILL REACH OUT ANONYMOUSLY
AND BLESS THE LIFE OF ANOTHER.
(Galatians 6:9-10 nkjv)
“And let us not grow weary while doing good,
for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all,
especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
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