Today's Devotional

 

 February 13, 2009

                                                                                                                      

Subject:  If It Was About Me 

Philippians 2:4 "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."

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I felt guilty afterwards for even pondering the thought.  A fellow teacher at my school came up to me yesterday and approached me about what I was doing with the cadets in my Junior ROTC program.  He saw that I had taken in "less-than-desirable" cadets and was attempting to motivate them to change their lives.  His view was that I should leave them out and make them look from the outside at people that were quite different in their sense of discipline and dedication and devotion.  That really is the typical view from the Marine Corps' perspective, but here at this inner-city Houston high school, life is so different.  

So I called in my fellow instructor and I asked her what she thought about us putting out a new policy that rejected kids that don't immediately conform to our standards in action and appearance.  We pondered for a second how good we would look compared to other programs and how easy life would be for us and as fast as that came to our minds, we dismissed it, because we realized immediately, "it's not about us."

What if Jesus had thought for a second that it was about Him.  He would not have thought about sacrificing Himself.   Nor would He have thought about enduring any of the humiliating and degrading acts that He had to suffer.  He could've continued attracting a great following and simply being "worshipped," but he didn't.  He realized that His purpose was not His satisfaction and even His glory, as a man here on earth.  It was about the Father's glory and His purpose and plan.

I think this is the epitome of what Christ meant we He said, "look not every man on his own things, but...on the things of others." God wants us to give ourselves away on the behalf of others, because truly it's not just about us, but also for those we're willing to give our lives for.  Start doing that today and not just for your "Valentine," but for everyone that God has given you an opportunity to love.

Carlen