By nature, humans like to look out for themselves before others. However, the Bible teaches us a godly principle contrary to human nature. We will call this godly principle “putting others before yourself.”
Before we start, let’s pray that the Holy Spirit helps us understand this principle. From this day forward, we can practice the “putting others before yourself” principle.
Father God, I pray that Your Holy Spirit will open up our spiritual eyes so that we can see and understand more fully the kingdom principle of putting others before ourselves. In Jesus’ mighty name, I pray. Amen!
Several verses in the Bible instruct us not to be selfish but to learn to prioritize other people’s interests over ours.
In -Philippians 2:3-4, the Word of God says:
3 Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
-Philippians 2:3-4 NLT
Today, we will study different ways to follow the godly principle of “putting others before yourself.”
So, biblically speaking, the best way to put others before yourself is by serving them first.
“What does it mean? , you may wonder. Well, it means you try your best or as much as possible to put other people’s interests before yours.
Is it an easy thing to do? Not at all, but by God’s grace, the LORD can enable you.
According to Google’s AI Overview, Serving means to “work” or “minister.”
In the Bible, the words for “serving” include Abhodhah and Abhadh.
Abhodhah: A noun that means “service,” “labor,” “ministering,” “work,” or “us.”Used to describe work in the fields, in the tabernacle, and for sanctuary service.
Abhadh: A verb that means “to work” or “to serve”.
Here are several ways we can serve others before ourselves.
Serving others first
Nowadays, a heart willing enough to serve others without expecting anything in return is rare in people’s lives.
It’s unfortunate to see how self-centered and selfish most of us are. Often, we only agree to serve others, expecting to get something in return.
However, the Bible does not promote that. We often see countless stories of people who went above and beyond for others. And sometimes, they are not even afraid to put their lives on the line for the sake of others.
I observed a godly principle in the Bible that I would like to title “Serving them first!”
To emphasize this principle of “Serving them first,” let’s read the story of a poor widow who believed this godly principle and stayed alive because of her obedience.
In 1 Kings 17, we see the story of Prophet Elijah asking a poor widow to give him food and water.
Now, let us examine a story from the Bible that explains in detail what “serving others first” means.
8 Then the LORD said to Elijah, 9 "Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you."
10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, "Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?"
11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, "Bring me a bite of bread, too."
12 But she said, "I swear by the Lord your God that I don't have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die."
13 But Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you've said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what's left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son.
14 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the LORD sends rain and the crops grow again!"
15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah.
-1 Kings 17: 8-14 NLT
After reading this story, some might judge Prophet Elijah’s statement and label him selfish or inconsiderate. He asked a poor widow to prepare her last meal for him first.
Fortunately, this story has a good ending. As Christians, we can learn from this story and apply what we learned to our lives.
As we can see in this story, God made a promise to the widow. Honestly, some of us would have insulted Prophet Elijah for making a ridiculous request like the one he made to that widow.
Using human thinking, it wouldn’t make sense to follow a stranger’s instructions regarding our last source of revival.
The LORD God instructed the widow to feed Prophet Elijah so she would know what to do when he showed up. That motivated her to follow the instructions even though they were hard.
Hopefully, today, you and I should ask God to reveal who and how He wants us to serve them and who we need to serve first.
Pray and fast for others
In the Bible, there is one famous story about a Queen named Esther who saved her entire nation by fasting for three days and three nights before confronting her enemy.
Here is a little background story for those who haven’t heard Queen Esther’s story.
When Esther was Queen, her husband, King Xerxes, promoted Haman, the enemy of the Israelites, to second in command, making him the most powerful official in the empire.
However, Haman conflicted with Mordecai, Queen Esther’s uncle. Sometime later, Haman, filled with hatred and influenced by his wife and friends, decided to annihilate Mordecai’s entire race, the Israelites, from the entire kingdom.
Unfortunately, Haman had no clue that Queen Esther was Jewish /Israelite. Ouf of ignorance and fueled with rage and hatred, he presented this wicked idea to King Xerxes, Queen Esther’s Husband.
Of course, Haman’s plan backfired on him, and he ended up being the one who got killed publicly by the King.
Now, let us study what caused this sudden change of direction. In a few words, prayer and fasting was the weapon Queen Esther and her people used to defeat Haman’s evil plot.
Let’s read this specific passage from the Book of Esther, which describes Queen Esther’s decision to put the lives of others before hers and thus choose to serve others first.
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:
16 "Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the King. If I must die, I must die."
17 So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him
- Esther 4:15-17 NLT
As we see in this story, Queen Esther’s acts of sacrifice shifted the trajectory of the war in the spiritual realm. In other words, the evil plan turned into something good.
So, how can we implement this godly principle of fasting and prayer for someone else first? Let’s use this testimony below as an illustration.
A couple of months ago, I listened to a sermon from Apostle Yoshua Ndagijimana Masasu. Apostle Masasu illustrated this principle in that sermon by giving an example of how he once prayed for someone else first.
One day, the Holy Spirit prompted him to do a crusade ( two/three days of fasting and prayer ) for one of his fellow believers who was pregnant. The LORD instructed him to pray for that specific lady from his small group and her pregnancy because the enemy was planning to harm her.
I believe he was instructed to do it secretly, not tell the lady what he would do, fast, and pray for her.
After he finished the crusade, he went to the small group to fellowship with his fellow believers. As he was getting ready to enter the house, the pregnant lady he had prayed for stood in his way. She started making fun of him and commenting negatively on his weight loss.
At that moment, Apostle Yoshua started to feel anger rising up within him. He started to remember how he had just spent a couple of days fasting for this pregnant lady, yet she was the exact person who mocked him when he was done with prayer.
Fortunately, the LORD helped him practice self-control, and he could remain calm and not react to that situation or insult.
A lesson to learn from these two stories:
- In Queen Esther’s story, you can save an entire nation by putting your life on the line.
- In Apostle Yoshua’s illustration: Let us learn to serve others first even though they may mock or disagree with us.
In a few words, let us learn how to fast and pray for others. Let us sacrifice our bodies for the Salvation of our family members and everyone the LORD has placed in our lives.
From this day forward, make it a habit always to obey and follow the Holy Spirit’s instructions whenever He prompts you to do a crusade for others.
Make it a priority to pray for others, whether they know you are praying on their behalf.
Sacrifice your Time for others
Understandably, today’s generations have become very stingy with their time due to living in an individualistic (self-reliant/self-sufficient) society.
Nowadays, it’s very common to find people living very isolated lifestyles due to being in an individualistic environment.
We often see this in Western countries. The fact that children leave their parents’ houses at a very young age, between 18 and 21, causes people to become very self-reliant/self-sufficient due to living on their own at a young age.
Question: Have you ever noticed that sometimes individuals living isolated lifestyles are known to be stingy or selfish with their time by default?
Living an independent lifestyle as a young adult is not bad, but intense isolation can sometimes cause one to dislike being around people.
Let me share a little example as an illustration to emphasize this point.
Throughout my life, I used to think that “time” was my most precious treasure, which I had to guard jealously. This mindset didn’t come out of the blue on a random day.
When I received Salvation, the Holy Spirit started to expose the real reason behind that mindset.
I developed this mindset mostly because I grew up in an African household in Burundi. Having a “me” time in my childhood was impossible because I lived with large family members.
So, when I got the opportunity to come to the United States right after high school, I started fully embracing all the “me time” that I missed growing up. Unfortunately, the enemy used this to cause me to become very stingy with my time and live a very isolated lifestyle.
At that time, I found satisfaction in living away from the crowd. My introversion and indoorsy personality contributed significantly to that isolated lifestyle. I barely had a social life.
So, when I got saved, that mindset of believing that “time was my greatest treasure” didn’t disappear overnight. Throughout the years, the LORD had to renew my mindset regarding this matter.
The Holy Spirit also explained that this mindset was based on wrong and selfish motives. Fortunately, the LORD has placed me in larger communities for the last few years, where I learned to sacrifice my time for God and others.
Of course, I am no expert in this area, but I still have a long way to go. I am still under construction. However, I praise God that I don’t have the same mindset I had a couple of years ago.
So, how do we sacrifice our time for others? We do this by not being stingy with our time and by allowing the Holy Spirit to fully and completely lead us in a godly community where we will be able to serve others wholeheartedly.
In my case, the LORD placed me in a godly online community called BCC (Bible Communication Center). Within this community, I learned how to become a true disciple of Christ in all areas of my life.
Today, “me time” is no longer my most precious treasure, but God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are my most precious treasures that I could never trade with anything. Amen!
I pray and hope that from this day forward, you will allow the Holy Spirit to teach and lead you to sacrifice your time for others for God’s purpose. Always learn how to go the extra mile for others.
May you learn to give others your time and full attention for God’s glory. This verse below shows us how to care for others.
7
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
-Isaiah 58:7 NLT
Become an Ever-flowing Spring
As Christians, we have the privilege of being a source of blessings to so many people. By sacrificing our time, bodies, finances, etc., we somehow become an Ever-flowing Spring.
The passage below explains what mighty deeds we will accomplish once we become an ever-flowing spring.
11
The LORD will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.
12
Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
and a restorer of homes.
- Isaiah 58:11-12 NLT
Today, let this passage encourage you to remember the benefit of “putting others before yourself.” The Bible says that some of us will rebuild the deserted ruins of our cities. Then, we will be known as rebuilders of walls and restorers of homes.
You will never know how many lives will be transformed just because of your obedience. Serving others does mold us into vessels ready to be used by God.
It is a privilege to serve others. Therefore, open your heart to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to create in you a new heart that is willing to apply the godly principle of putting others before yourself.
May you keep on meditating on these verses below as the LORD gives you more detail on this topic:
3 Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
4 Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
-Philippians 2:3-4 NLT
Conclusion
As we conclude, let this passage below become our constant reminder of how important it is to sacrifice ourselves for others by putting them before ourselves.
24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.
25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.
26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
-John 12:24-26 NLT
So, “putting others before yourself” is a practical way of following Jesus’ example. The last passage we just read says that:
"unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives."
This verse means that multitudes of people will benefit when you deliberately give your time, money, and body (through fasting and prayer). Some people will even receive Salvation as a result of your sacrifice.
I pray that the LORD keeps on molding you into the person or a vessel He can use for His Kingdom purpose. In Jesus’ mighty name, I pray. Amen!
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