Today I read a passage that I'm very familiar with and it spoke to me again..."Though he was God, Jesus did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing, he took the humble position of a slave...he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. " (Philippians 2:6-8)
Catch the "he made himself" and "he humbled himself" phrases? Jesus made a deliberate choice of serving and humility. He placed all of humanity above himself.
This speaks to me because I struggle with this area. It is not a natural thing for me to want to meet someone else's needs or desires before my own. I have to force myself to put others first.
I share, I love, I encourage and I help...I've never thought of myself as "self-centered". But what I'm learning is that I can't tell if I'm a "self-centered person" by looking in the mirror. My benchmark has to be Jesus.
I have to choose everyday to live, love and serve as He did.
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