Self
Those words of encouragement are intended for the men and women of the church in order to teach us how life is supposed to work as we come together.
Self
When I read through the New Testament, there is a word that seems to always come to mind. We always think of words like grace, mercy, love, hope, peace ... these are all staples of the Christian life. But, when I read the works of Paul, John, James and the others, the word that always floats to the top is “self.”
Where would the church be without the idea that we must set aside our self and live for others? Look at some of these key verses:
Philippians 2:3
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”
James 3:16
“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”
Those words of encouragement are intended for the men and women of the church in order to teach us how life is supposed to work as we come together. The first example of humble selflessness comes in John 3, where John the Baptist taught us all how we should defer to Jesus.
John the Baptist was the most popular preacher of his day. People came from all over to hear him. Yet, when Jesus came along, John taught, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
John was saying that Christ is more important than anything. We don’t live for ourselves anymore. We live for Christ and our greatest goal is to bring Him glory and honor. We follow His own selfless example of love by putting our own ambitions aside. We put others above us and Christ above all else.
This is what makes the church such a unique and beautiful place. It exists for this very purpose.
Romans 12:10-12
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord...”
