The attitude of self-sacrifice is often the key ingredient in fulfilling the Lord’s plans for my life. When I am selfish, life is all about me and my plan, but never the Lord’s. It takes effort to build a relationship with someone as the arms and feet of Jesus. Relationships take time and are often messy, but they are worth it.
The people who impacted me most made personal sacrifices because life was not all about them. I remember one outstanding college teacher who could have had a brilliant business career that paid much more but chose to forgo that to help the next generation. When Jesus came to earth, He stepped into the muck and mire with us to rescue us from our sins. The sacrifice Jesus made for us is hard to comprehend because it is so great.
Looking Out for Others
Because of our sinful nature, we must be continually on guard to avoid self-centeredness. Our natural sinful inclination may be selfish, but we can begin each day by asking the Lord to help us be more like Him. Paul gives some examples of what slows us down along our spiritual journey. Philippians 2:3 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. [1]
What would happen if you asked the Lord daily to be humble and think of others first? Something changes when God begins to open our hearts to the needs of others and the importance of humility. As the Lord changes our hearts, we begin to see people differently. These may be people we didn’t see or ignored previously.
Jesus, the Model of Self-Sacrifice
When we think of self-sacrifice, Jesus is our model. Luke 9:23 Then Jesus said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. [2] As believers, when we follow Jesus, it is about giving up our wants, desires, and selfish ambitions daily. Following Jesus is picking up the cross of self-sacrifice; as we do, it changes our lives and those around us.
Each time we deny ourselves for someone else, the Lord can mold us to be more like Him. How would your life change if you took Jesus’ call seriously to take up the cross and follow Him daily? Each day is new, and we fight the battle of following the Lord or going our own way. As we pray to the Lord, He knows we are weak, and only with His help can we put down our selfish desires and follow Him.
To learn more about the attitude of self-sacrifice, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/live-with-attitude
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Php 2:3–4). Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Lk 9:23). Tyndale House Publishers.