Thought for Monday, June 25th

June 25, 2012

The Others First Orientation

Who is there among us who does not like to be waited on and served as if we were royalty in a king’s palace?  It might be nice for a bit but wouldn’t it get old after a while?  Especially if we have God’s heart for service; we should not find ourselves content being served but rather we should be desirous of serving others.

George Elliot put it this way, “What do we live for if not to make life less difficult for each other.”

Isn’t that in affect what God expects of us?  Doesn’t He want us to help each other out and serve each other thereby making each others lives less of a burden; and most certainly less difficult?

Should not, as scripture puts it, we esteem others to be more important or significant than we ourselves think we are?

Wilfred Grenfell stated that, “The service we render others is the rent we pay for our room on earth.”

I don’t know that this notion is entirely accurate but it most certainly has some merit as a concept.

“Everything that lives, lives not alone, nor for itself.”

-       William Blake

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.  But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Matthew 19:28-30

And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

Luke 22:25-27

To please God and emulate Jesus we need to be willing to be a servant to those around us.  I am sure we will have our times of being served, but may we always be willing and ready to step up and be the first to offer to serve others first.

Today’s Prayer

Father, you sent your son to be an example for the future generations of humanity: to demonstrate what a true servant’s life would be like.  Help me to follow His example.

“My life is in You Lord
My strength is in You Lord
My hope is in You Lord
In You, it’s in You

I’ll praise You with all of my life
I’ll praise You with all of my strength
With all of my life, with all of my strength
All my hope is in You “

-  Lyrics from ‘My Life Is In You Lord’ by Daniel Gardner