Nehemiah 11:1-12:26 / 1 Corinthians 10:14-33 / Psalms 34:11-22 / Proverbs 21:14-16
What if me, myself, and I chose to worship at the church of my way, doing what makes me feel good, and don’t tell me what to do? Does that sound far-fetched? Well, outwardly it certainly does but how many of us live this way inwardly? We may not be aware of our motives, but our choices prove what is lurking within our hearts.
From birth we are conditioned to take care of ourselves first, and as I’ve discussed before, there is an element of that being necessary because if I’m not healthy and my needs are not being met, I will fall short in helping others. Once I’m strong enough, I need to be putting others first. I don’t need to “think” about putting them first; I need to do the work of putting them first.
1 Corinthians 10:33 NLT I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.
The Passion Translation says it this way: Follow my example, for I try to please everyone in all things, rather than putting my liberty first. I sincerely attempt to do anything I can so that others may be saved.
The Living Bible: That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please everyone in everything I do, not doing what I like or what is best for me but what is best for them, so that they may be saved.
Do you know what I find interesting about these three translations? They all say the same thing. Others are first and I am second. Why? We deny ourselves and put the needs of others first so that the others in our lives may know Christ Jesus, so that they may be born again. That certainly seems like a worthy cause. If I’m going to deny myself, I’d rather affect eternity in the process.
I’ve found that if I’m looking out for others, my needs will not go unmet; the Lord is taking care of me while I’m taking care of others. If the two concepts of taking care of yourself before taking care of others, along with putting others first is confusing, I understand! It certainly can be.
The heart of the matter is our heart motivations for why we do what we do. This is certainly not an easy, straight-forward topic. There are times I will tell others “No” for the sake of being sure I stay sharp and focused, and there are times I’ll spend myself beyond what feels like my breaking point because there is someone in need. And there will also be everything in between these two scenarios.
I’ve said for years that I will not be the person standing on the railroad tracks trying to stop a runaway train. That is valid. If someone finds themselves in a circumstance of their own making and they are not willing to cooperate with my help, it may be that they are not yet ready, and they are not yet miserable enough to change. Then there are those who cannot help themselves in a particular circumstance and they just need someone to advocate for them. I will do that on a temporary, case by case basis.
At some point all of us must stand up and be big boys and girls and face the decisions we’ve made. Bad decisions make for bad outcomes. Wise decisions make for wise outcomes. Those who are willing to do the hard work in their lives will reap the benefits. Those who do nothing except depend on others will find themselves not living the life they wished for.
In summary, be strong, help others, use wisdom according to what you hear Holy Spirit saying. Don’t allow yourself to become cynical. Do what is best for others so that many may be saved.
