Living the truth is an ongoing challenge. We might like to think we have reached a point where we can relax a bit. We have no major sin in our lives. We have settled into a reasonable routine of attendance at meetings, doing our readings on most days and a little extra study once in awhile. There may not be much spiritual growth, but we may feel we have reached that comfortable level where further growth is not a priority item.
An eye-opener
Then we read a passage which shakes us into self-examination. Something like, “…in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man on the things of others” (Phil. 2:3-4).
There are some meaningful words in this passage. “Esteem” carries the idea of to lead or go before. “Better” means to hold something superior to. “On the things of others” means to put the needs of others before our own.
The underlying attitude involved is not a feeling of personal inferiority that puts one’s self down, but a conviction that leads to a pattern of conduct that takes care of the other person in spite of the inconvenience or cost to ourself.
The classic example is the Lord washing his disciple’s feet. He did not consider himself inferior to them; he was their Lord and Master. But he did for them a rather unpleasant job that cast him in a servant’s role.
A theme
Putting others first is not mentioned just once or twice, it is a theme running throughout the New Testament. Romans 12:10 makes the same point: “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.” The allusion is to the attitude seen in a properly functioning family. Parents constantly look to the needs of their children, husbands and wives continually demonstrate gentle and tender care for each other. Though the husband may be the leader, he does not flaunt authority as a king in his domain but takes the lead in rendering service to others. He holds forth esteem and respect for wife and children by serving their needs ahead of his own.
“By love serve one another…” Galatians 5:13 makes the same point in strong terms. The word “serve” is a powerful one, for it speaks of being slave-like in subjecting one’s self to serving the other person. The same idea is in I Cor. 13:5: “(charity) seeketh not her own” and in Gal. 6:2: “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Can do much good
This is not a natural pattern of conduct but it can certainly do a lot of good. If we esteem others better than ourselves, honor others, bear their burdens and act as a servant to others, we will do wonders for our ecclesia. We will be a wonderful example to the world and our character will develop thereby.
Daily sacrifice of self
“And he (Jesus) said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it” (Luke 9:23-24). These words relate to the same theme of putting others first.
The verses we have already quoted from the epistles of Paul tell us how to lose ourselves. By sharing the needs of others, by serving them ahead of ourselves we are doing what Christ did daily and finally on the cross.
This is not easy and it is not natural. We may not find it hard to put others first once in awhile, but to do it “daily,” as a regular pattern of conduct, is very difficult. Our task is made harder because our hearts are deceitful and “desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9). What is natural for us to do is to take from the other person or to selfishly cling to what we have in position or possession for “out of the heart of men proceed…thefts, covetousness …pride, foolishness” (Mark 21-23).
Putting the ether first may not be natural, but it is surely the right way to go. If we follow our natural instinct to save ourselves, to preserve our standing before others, to defend what this life offers us, we will ultimately lose it all. But if we overcome our concern for self, if we serve God and uphold His principles to esteem others better than ourselves, then ultimately we will have honor, glory and immortality.
Changing our thinking
Our natural instinct is to serve ourselves first; it is part of our inherited drive. But we are told, “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Gal. 5:24). Those words contain a tremendous challenge that we should overcome our nature to such an extent that it becomes axiomatic for us to serve others ahead of ourselves. How can we do this?
In another place, Paul says, “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). In II Cor. 10:5, we are urged to bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” And in the chapter where we started, we are told, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5). The word “mind” indicates our way of thinking. How was Jesus thinking? He was not concerned about his reputation (v.7); he was not trying to impress someone else with his own importance; he was prepared to act like a servant in his service to others. This was his “mind,” his pattern of thinking which reflected in his conduct. So the key is to change the way we think.
We may say that we are fully prepared to serve Christ, we consider him better than us, and we would gladly put his needs ahead of our own. But our service for Christ is expressed in our service to other disciples. That is much harder than serving Christ directly, because people may not be very lovable or appreciative.
Putting them ahead of ourselves, however, is the kind of service Christ wants; he considers such actions as service to himself. Remember the words, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40).
How can we do it?
As we have noted, putting others first is not natural. To do it on a consistent basis we must change our thinking so that serving others first becomes our normal way of responding.
Changing our thinking so that our mind is like Christ’s cannot be done by flexing our own spiritual muscles. Simply trying harder to do it won’t work. We’ve got to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. We need to allow the potter to form us into vessels of honor.
First, we must sincerely and honestly desire that the right mode of thinking becomes our thinking. Second, we must pray that the Lord will change the very way we think.
The phrasing of Psa. 119 gives useful guidance in this matter. The Psalmist’s prayer is, “Make me to go in the path of thy commandments …Incline my heart unto thy testimonies …Turn away mine eyes…” (Psa. 119:35-37). He does not say “help me,” as if God will help him flex his own spiritual muscles, but he says “make me.” His plea is “incline my heart,” not, “help me to incline it,” “Turn away mine eyes,” not, “help me turn them away.”
There is no intent that we should not do what we can. Yet there is a difference in intensity in this way of expressing prayer. Perhaps our problem is that we don’t pray with enough intensity. We are told that the effectual “fervent” prayer of a righteous man is the kind of prayer that accomplishes much (Jam. 5:16).
Let us work at our prayers as Jesus did. He prayed with such intensity in the garden that he sweated great drops of blood. Our intensity level obviously won’t be that high, but do we ever perspire as a result of our prayers? And let us make our prayers specific, asking that the very pattern of our thinking be spiritual and not fleshly. Let us pray: “make me, give me, turn me, incline my heart.”
Continued effort needed
Let us never become complacent with the extent of our spiritual development. All our lives we must continue to grow from glory to glory as we seek to develop into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. One of the great areas in which this growth should occur is in our service to our brethren, remembering that when we serve them, putting them ahead of ourselves, we are serving Christ, putting him ahead of ourselves.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One