By Dag Heward-Mills
Every human being loves himself.
You can be a person who lives to enhance himself, decorate yourself and improve yourself.
That is simply a life of self-enhancement. On the other hand, you may live a life dedicated to helping “others”.
That is a far richer life!
You can go beyond yourself to love your neighbour as well.
Your “neighbour” represents the others of your life.
“Others” are the people whom God has called you to care for.
Notice what Jesus said about “others”.
He said, love them the way you love yourself!
A life of self-love is the lowest kind of life.
Let us follow the teaching of Jesus and begin to love our neighbours as well.
Jesus loved ‘others’
Most people have the capacity to only love their husbands, their wives and their children.
Some people show great love for their extended families.
Some people have a strong and extraordinary love for their tribes.
But Jesus Christ loved this whole world full of wicked people.
This great love for “others” is the exact opposite of the human selfishness which has destroyed our world.
The Church of Jesus Christ is also almost destroyed because of the great selfishness that has consumed it.
The church has become weak because of self-centredness.
Hardly do the rich and prosperous churches of our world think about “others”.
They are so consumed with their own needs that they do not realise that self-centredness affects the church negatively.
God so loved the world that He thought about “others”.
By thinking about “others” and loving “others”, God has won to Himself many sons and daughters.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
A leader can rise above loving himself and only a select few to the place where he can love many others too. Are you that kind of leader?
Jesus thought about ‘others’
Scripture teaches us to think about others.
The reason why most people do nothing for others is that they do not think about “others”.
How many people think about the souls that are lost?
How many people think about other nations?
How many people think about those in hospital?
You are not likely to be happy with the real answers to all these questions.
We are mostly consumed with our own issues.
But we can be like Christ and think of others too!
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:4-8
Jesus helped ‘others’
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. Acts 10:38
The effort that Jesus made to go around the world doing good to “others” and healing “others” who were sick, is a great example of our Saviour helping “others”.
Jesus Himself was well and not in need of healing, but He went about healing all who were oppressed by the devil.
Jesus had a good life, but He went about doing good to people who needed something good. Jesus could have concerned Himself with His needs.
He could even have extended it to his family and his disciples.
But He helped far more than these groups.
God has blessed you with life and health, it is your duty to go about helping people who are sick and in need of health.
Do not wait until you are sick before you learn the importance of ministering to and praying for the sick.
You can hardly find people who think about the unfortunate ones in our society.
People rarely care genuinely about “others”!
It is no wonder, that our world is being destroyed, by seven billion self-centred, selfish and greedy human beings who do not care about each other.
We pray that God will touch our hearts in this new year!
May we think of others apart from ourselves! May you be a leader who thinks of others!
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The writer is the founder of the Lighthouse Group of churches.
