January 31, 2022 GIVE PREFERENCE
Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others.”
Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;”
Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
These verses, and other similar passages, are a sure receipt for unity and harmonious relationships. The unredeemed nature of man is to look out for himself-number one. When we are born again, when we are reconciled to God, we get a new nature AND it’s a nature that is in the image of God. Ephesians 4:24. We have been set free from who we use to be. Living in and expressing this new nature does not happen automatically; we must choose to walk in our new self; the verse in Ephesians 4:24 instructs us to “put on the new self.” Sad to say, all too often there is division and strife among those who profess to be followers of Christ. Some sure signs that one is not walking in their new self is that they become self-centered, argumentative, not sensitive to the needs of others, insistent on their way, and in general, not preferring others above themselves. The good news for us is that we can live in a way that reflects the very nature of God; we can walk in brotherly love, preferring and honoring others. We can dethrone self! More good news is that living according to the ways of God fulfills our deepest longings; God has designed us in such a way that we find more joy in giving of ourselves than we do insisting on our ways. May we take God at His word; let us adopt the mind set of preferring others as more important than ourselves; let us look out not for our interest alone, but for the interest of others as well; let us honor others; let us be given to brotherly love; and let us “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit.” We can live in such a way ONLY because God has redeemed us and made us new creations and has given us the Holy Spirit to equip us and empower us to live in a way that pleases Him-----and it will bless others as well!
1 Peter 3:8-9 “To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”
Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ Jesus also has forgiven you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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