If we were to wrap the entire earthly life of Jesus Christ up in one word, that word would be “others”. He spent his life on this earth healing the sick, raising the dead, and helping others. And then He gave His own life in the ultimate sacrifice for others by dying on the cross.
The Bible tells us in Galations 5:13-14, “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
And in 1 John 4:7-11, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is fnborn of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested fnin us, that God has sent His fnonly begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
We spend WAY too much of our efforts in trying to make our OWN life and get what WE want, when in reality that’s the world’s wisdom and way of thinking. The Bible tells us to NOT follow the world’s wisdom, but rather to follow GOD and His wisdom.
A quote I saw recently on said, “Life isn’t about how much you HAVE – it’s about how much you GIVE”, and the joy we get when we give not only of ourselves but of our resources to others makes our own life that much better. There are many people in this world who don’t understand this. They look at the lives missionaries and other people live in the service of others and they shake their heads.
We should seek to pease God in EVERYTHING we do, and that includes our love for others. We also may find it difficult at times to keep others in the proper place in our lives, but when we love others because we want to please Him, it becomes easier.
Years ago, a writer for a London newspaper was visiting India. One day he met a missionary nurse who lived among the leper colonies and would care for the lepers, washing them, tending to their needs, and of course sharing the Gospel with them. He saw the nurse washing the sores on a leper’s body and said, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars!” The nurse looked up from her task and replied, “Neither would I – but I gladly do it for Jesus!”
That should be our attitude! After all that Jesus Christ has done for us – we owe it to love Him and love others! That’s what this life is all about…Loving God and loving others!