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OTHERS > ME
The call to discipleship is a call to deny ourselves. A call to lay down our lives for the sake of others. A call to care for others' needs and interests. Jesus didn't just preach and teach about this call. He lived it out himself by laying down his life as a ransom for many. He was always seeking the interests of others - the poor, needy, broken, hurting, even the rich.
God didn't intend for us to live a self-centered, self-focused life. We are not to just look out for our growth, our betterment, our family. We have been baptized into a body and family of God's people who are diverse, distinct and different from each other. Paul's analogy of the body of Christ to a human body explains how an eye cannot say to the hand 'I don't need you' and the head cannot say to the feet 'I don't need you'. In reality someone needs your help! Some broken marriages need the counsel of your healthy marriage. Some depressed and fearful soul needs your encouragement to be revived and built up.
The phrase 'One another' is mentioned about 100 times in the Bible. Love one another. Bear with one another. Encourage one another. Forgive one another. The list goes on! So our lives cannot be independent from 'One-anothering'.
Jesus in his sermon on the mount taught, “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”(Matthew 5:41) This care for people must be out of compassion and not compulsion. Going the extra mile isn't just about giving some extra money that we have but it's also about giving our time, energy that will make a world of difference for others. Being there for others will always cost us something. Are we willing to pay the price? Do we have genuine concern for others?
The CHALLENGE to Change:
Do something out of your way for someone today. Push yourself away from selfishness and ask God to give you a genuine concern for people, starting with your own family, the church and your circles of interaction. Start with simple things like asking someone how they are and wait for an answer (start with your close circles), pray for and be willing to help.
The call to discipleship is a call to deny ourselves. A call to lay down our lives for the sake of others. A call to care for others' needs and interests. Jesus didn't just preach and teach about this call. He lived it out himself by laying down his life as a ransom for many. He was always seeking the interests of others - the poor, needy, broken, hurting, even the rich.
God didn't intend for us to live a self-centered, self-focused life. We are not to just look out for our growth, our betterment, our family. We have been baptized into a body and family of God's people who are diverse, distinct and different from each other. Paul's analogy of the body of Christ to a human body explains how an eye cannot say to the hand 'I don't need you' and the head cannot say to the feet 'I don't need you'. In reality someone needs your help! Some broken marriages need the counsel of your healthy marriage. Some depressed and fearful soul needs your encouragement to be revived and built up.
The phrase 'One another' is mentioned about 100 times in the Bible. Love one another. Bear with one another. Encourage one another. Forgive one another. The list goes on! So our lives cannot be independent from 'One-anothering'.
Jesus in his sermon on the mount taught, “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”(Matthew 5:41) This care for people must be out of compassion and not compulsion. Going the extra mile isn't just about giving some extra money that we have but it's also about giving our time, energy that will make a world of difference for others. Being there for others will always cost us something. Are we willing to pay the price? Do we have genuine concern for others?
The CHALLENGE to Change:
Do something out of your way for someone today. Push yourself away from selfishness and ask God to give you a genuine concern for people, starting with your own family, the church and your circles of interaction. Start with simple things like asking someone how they are and wait for an answer (start with your close circles), pray for and be willing to help.
Scripture
About this Plan
We keep talking about change, how much this world needs it. True change is not brought about by the formation of new laws, rather by the transformation of each one’s life. You will find in this Plan a reminder for each day of an area we need to change in and grow, prompting us into Christ likeness and becoming the change this world needs to see and emulate. So…..Got Change?
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We would like to thank New Life AG Church, Chennai for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.nlag.in or Facebook.com/nlagchennai
