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"What's in it for me?"

Has that question crept into your mind as you've thought about caring for others this week? Maybe you feel selfish for asking it, but it's there. It's an understandable question to ask. So many ways we interact with others are based on what's in it for us. And thankfully, in Matthew 6, Jesus answers.

As you care for others, you begin to change. The things you desire and hope for start to align with Jesus' desires and hopes. You begin to see others as made in God's image and are worthy of God's care and love.

Gradually, as you are generous with your care for others, you learn to ask questions other than, "What's in it for me?" You replace those questions with ones like, "How can I love this person as Jesus would?" or "How can I help show them that God loves them?" You may find that the answer has something in it for you, but it may not. As you become more like Jesus, that begins to matter less and less.

Storing up your treasure in the things that matter to God looks like caring for others, and your heart changes.

So as you care for others, feel free to ask, "What's in it for me?" Because there's an answer . . . it helps you become more like Jesus.