Welcome to the current blogging series, working through the season of Lent.
Day 34
How good are you at "thinking of yourself less"? At putting others ahead of yourself?
Today's Scripture reading, Matthew 20: 25 - 28 challenges us in this area ...
But Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them. 26 It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”
The key phrase here for me is "just as" - just as Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, so the Father wants me to serve others. In this Scripture passage, as well as many others, Jesus emphasized to His disciples the importance of looking out for others first, of providing comfort, support, and aid to those around us, without considering whether it's comfortable or convenient for us to do so.
During the remaining days of Lent, let's look for opportunities to put others first.
Take some time and volunteer at a local community centre to serve a meal, donate some groceries to a children's home, read a book to someone who could be blessed by it, pray for someone in need, volunteer some time to help at a crisis pregnancy centre, give someone a lift to work or to church, or give a needy family in your neighbourhood some Easter eggs.
If you're not in the habit of putting others first, give it a try. I guarantee you'll be blessed by your efforts!