Love Your Neighbor: Outreach, One Step at a Time Sample

Step Out of Yourself No valuable possession or higher accomplishment will ever make us happy. This is the great lie of the enemy: When I get ____, then I’ll be happy. This is not only false, but it is selfish, yet we fail to recognize it. A selfish life is a prison. It violates the very Word of God because it stands in such a complete contrast to the Savior who gave His life on the cross. What new worlds await when we step out of ourselves and instead begin to serve others? Even giving a cold cup of water in His name holds tremendous value. Or switching seats on an airplane so that a couple or a family can sit together. I watched a girls’ high school track meet, the winner of which would qualify for the advanced state meet. It was an 800-meter race. The gun went off and one runner was in the lead all the way up to the 700-meter mark. It appeared that she was going to win in record time. Suddenly, her legs gave out and she collapsed. The girl in second place was shocked to find herself in first. She passed the fallen girl––and then she did something amazing. She stopped, took a few steps back, and helped the girl (her rival) get back to her feet. Then she cheered her and supported her to the finish line; both of them made it in time to qualify for the state level. To that second girl, the value of reaching out in service outweighed the very real possibility of coming in first, ahead of her greatest competitor. That is living outside of yourself! When you become intentional about living outside of yourself, you will start to live a life of service instinctively. Soon you will find more joy in doing good daily than in achieving your big dreams. Society teaches you to value accomplishment, but God wants you to see the value of what you are becoming. To pray about: With God’s help, you can step out of selfishness at any time. By defeating selfishness, you are accomplishing something great, and you can have this victory every day of your life.