The Joy Of Serving OthersEsimerkki

DAY FOUR: Are You Willing? We need to embrace God’s mercy to extend mercy. If we open our hearts, we will become an expression to others of Christ, who went to the cross with open arms and an open heart to receive all who would come to Him. By God’s grace and lots of prayer, that is how our lives are going to finish—all about others. I know why you got saved. That’s important. But the question now becomes, Why are you living for Christ? What is your motivation for being part of the kingdom of God? Are you living for yourself, or are you willing to live for others? We must focus on others if we are to truly pray for others as Christ taught us to pray. Without that focus on others, we will pray without ceasing for ourselves exclusively. “Give me my daily bread…. Forgive me …. Lead me …. Deliver me …. Protect me ….” When we finally become secure and mature in Christ, we will go into the closet and pray for others to receive the bread they need, the freedom they need, the protection they need. God’s Word is very clear about being “others-centered.” Scripture tells us, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13, KJV). This implies a complete giving of ourselves for other people, irrespective of whether there is any reciprocation. The Lord told us that if we do these things, His joy will be in us, and our joy will be full! Knowing we would need this driven home, Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34, NIV). When our focus shifts from ourselves to others, everything changes.