“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests,but also for the interests of others.”
Phil. 2:4
We’ve all heard of the cliché, “Give the shirt off your back.”
The dictionary tells us its connotation: First recorded in 1771, this idiom means in an act of self-sacrifice, to give
anything one possesses in order to help another in need.
Well, while in Costco last week, after complimenting a
woman’s necklace, in a gesture of complete altruism, Betsy was “given the cross
off her neck.” Not the shirt off her back, but her cross necklace off her neck!
Wow. What this woman didn’t know
was the heartbreaking phone call Betsy had received a couple hours prior.
Acting on news unbeknownst to her, in divinely orchestrated timing, this saint came
to the aide of Betsy’s aching heart with a symbol of a cross… God’s message to
Betsy saying, “I am in complete control,
trust Me.”
S. Harris shares this equation: Self-sufficiency is
the opposite of Christian faith; self-will
is the opposite of Christian submission;
self-seeking
is the opposite of Christian compassion,
and self-righteousness is the opposite of Christian humility and reverence. ~Last week in Costco, amidst
a world entrenched in “I am most
important” mentality, the opposite occurred…the essence of Christian love was refreshingly
exemplified to all onlookers by this virtuous woman. Our Lord smiles.
“Little children, let us not
love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”
1 Jn.3: 18
“You must have the same attitude that Christ
Jesus had.
Though He was God,
He did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, He gave up His divine privileges;
He took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When He appeared in human form,
He humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of
highest honor
and gave Him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2: 5-11
Today, may we live
out the heart of Christ with the breath of our lives.
Much love and hugs,
Shaun and Betsy
