We live in a me-centered world, don’t we? The Bible speaks of a time in which people would be lovers of self, pleasure, and money (2 Tim. 3:2-4). Sounds like these times, doesn’t it? Jesus said His followers are to deny self, take up our crosses, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). Are we who call ourselves believers in Jesus denying self, or are we stuck in the me, me, me-s? I was delightfully shocked when I found myself praying these exact words.
“Help me be there for others!” I cried out to God.
I must have been the most self-centered person in the world, and I can still fall into this sinfulness, ungodliness, and unrighteousness of me-centered living if I am not careful. Oh, sure, long before I was a totally devoted Jesus follower, I wanted and tried to help others. But deep down inside it still was about me. Not about Jesus. Not selflessly about others.
How delighted I was to see how God has changed me. Whereas I once wanted the world to be there for me, now I want to be there for God and the world. I want to love and serve the Lord and others with every ounce of my heart. I don’t want to spend my days dreaming up and devising what I can get to love and serve self. I want to seek and follow God concerning how He wants to use me to love, bless, encourage, pray for, minister to, share the Gospel with, and help others to follow Jesus.
I didn’t change me. God changed me. By His Holy Spirit. Through my reading and learning to live by the Bible. With the love, help, encouragement, and prayer of others who love Jesus.
Now I want to be there for others. With the love, kindness, mercy, grace, goodness, peace, joy, and beauty of Jesus.
God is still changing me and ever will be while I am on this earth.
If you need change and growth in this area, please cry out to God. Rest assured in His wondrous love and gracious mercy He is in the transformation business. He yearns to change us into the men and women of God He created us to be. Loving Him with all our hearts – and loving others as ourselves. Amen!
“Jesus said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’” Matthew 22:37-39 NKJV
“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13 NKJV
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:3-8 NKJV
“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,” 1 Peter 1:22 NKJV
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:12-13 NKJV