others, others, others FIRST

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

We live in a selfish world. People are bombarded with ideas of success that include stepping on others rather than building them up, but God’s way is very different.

Earlier some of the disciples came to Jesus and asked a couple questions. Some asked who is the greatest in the kingdom. Another asked if he and his brother could sit next to Jesus in heaven.

Both had serious flaws. Both showed tones of selfishness. They might have had some form of pure motives, but they ended up with themselves or what they thought being what is central. That couldn’t be any farther than what Jesus had on His mind and in His heart.

It is all about others. We are to serve others. He died for and gave all for others. Serving means not expecting anything back after you meet the needs of the people around you.

That literally is the attitude, passion and purpose of our Savior, the Son of God, the one who became man, Jesus. By choosing to make others important we choose what Jesus chose. There are several things that happen when we choose to serve rather than to be served.

One of the largest things that happens is that we remind people of their value. Jesus spoke of our value and each person’s value by giving His life for theirs through His death on the cross of Calvary. When we choose to serve, we choose to remind those we serve that they are important to God, they have God given and built in value in their lives.

We all have slants and needs and opinions and desires, and if our desires get in the way of giving others value, we are going in the wrong direction. How will you and I this week remind more people of their incredible, God given worth?

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” -- Mother Teresa

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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