Romans 8:17 NIV
”Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.“
INSIGHT
–Having been made heirs together with Christ through His death and resurrection, and justified through faith, we have peace with God in Christ Jesus. We must then share in the suffering of Christ through selflessness in our Christian walk of faith as each one carries his/her own cross and follows Jesus. It is an inevitable journey as we imitate Christ as heirs of the same Father so that we may inherit glory when it is revealed.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus we thank You for You have enabled us to see this new week in good health and peace. You have been good to us, we honor You. You have always been faithful even when we become faithless. We pray for all those who are sick in hospitals and at home that You may heal them and show them Your power and grace even as the doctors are on strike. We pray for calm and normalcy in the health sector that the government officials and health practitioners may agree for the glory and honor of Your name. We thank You for Your death and resurrection that You have made us co-heirs with You Jesus Christ. May You cleanse us from all sin, iniquity and unrighteousness, and lead us all in Your path of everlasting life. May You help us to be selfless in our walk of faith as we carry our cross and follow You. We pray for Your divine enablement and divine help in everything thing that we do and every plan and purpose for our lives. May Your favor and grace continue to abound in us this week dear Lord Jesus. All glory, honor, power, praise and blessings belongs to You now and forever. Amen
Further reading: 1 Peter 4:13, Matthew 16:24-28
Matthew 7:12 ESV
”So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.“
INSIGHT
-Jesus releases true wisdom regarding the guiding principles of good interpersonal relationships and beyond. It is more like a Christian code of conduct and the standard of how we are to treat people. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus reveals that the law of love saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Jesus calls us to love Him and one another and we also do good to others. The genuineness of our relationship with God shows up in the way we treat people. We are to treat others as we want to be treated by them. Jesus expects every Christian to initiate love and not to wait for love to return love.
PRAYER
Abba Father our King of kings and Lord of lords. You are the Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last we honor You. You are our only God and King we praise You. Thank You for loving us and sending Your Only Begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins. May You cleanse us from all unrighteousness and lead us in the light of Your salvation dear merciful Father. May Your love abound in us and through us that we may always love You and our neighbors as ourselves. May You empower us by Your grace to always do good to one another. May You teach us to follow and abide by Your law of love which covers a multitude of sins. May You help us love more deeply for You have created us in the image and likeness of love. May You help us to forgive all those who have offended us and be kind to all. May You bless our children, protect them and cover them with Your precious blood always. We pray this believing and trusting in Jesus mighty name. Amen
Further reading: Romans 13:8-10, 1 Peter 4:8
Philippians 2:3-4 NKJV
”Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.“
INSIGHT
–Evil desires driven by the heart which is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), is a major cause for pride and selfishness. Among the six things that God hates according to Proverbs 6:16-19 is a proud look, a heart that devises wicked plans, a false witness who speaks lies and one who sows discord among brethren. These are all schemes of selfish ambition. Jesus calls us to Iook to Him in everything and exhibit His nature of humility, compassion, kindness and love to one another. Jesus humbled Himself even to the point of death on the cross and He calls us to be like Him. In the nature of compassion, Jesus reminds us to consider the interests of others first before our own. To serve others before we are served. To do unto others what we would love them to do unto us. God gives everyone according to their ways and deeds. Let us then love one another and consider doing good to others always. We are also called to show our gentleness to all for the Lord is near (Philippians 4:5).
PRAYER
Lord Jesus You have called us to submit to one another out of reverence for You Jesus Christ. As You took a humble position of coming to earth as a human being, died on the cross for our sins, demonstrating to us the way to live and giving us eternal life dear Lord Jesus, may You teach us to be selfless to others. May You help us to keep Your statutes and commands, and to love You and our neighbors as ourselves. May You deliver us from all sin, iniquity and uncleanliness and teach us to do Your will always. May You grant us kind and compassionate hearts that we may put the interests of others even before our own. May You grant us loving hearts that we may serve You even as we serve our fellow men. May You bless every orphan, widow, widower and street child and deliver them from every difficulty. May You comfort all those who are bereaved and grant them strength and peace during this difficult time. May You protect us all from road accidents and sudden death. We shall not die before our time but we shall live to accomplish all that You have kept for us and declare Your goodness Oh Lord. May Your name be praised and exulted in all the heavens and the earth for only You are worthy to be praised. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen
Further reading: James 1:27, Ephesians 5:21
Galatians 6:2 NIV
”Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.“
INSIGHT
–Apostle Paul here alludes to the custom of travelers who sometimes were too heavily laden with their baggage, and therefore the need to relieve one another by bearing the burdens of the weak or fatigued, and in that manner show their good disposition toward each other; and so fulfill the law of Christ. This therefore sympathize with and assist each other, in all their weaknesses, grievances and trials. The parable of the Good Samaritan reveals the test that brethren experience as we carry each others burdens. A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho was attached by robbers. A priest and a Levite looked at the man and passed on the other side of the road. It is expected that since these were religious leaders they would act speedily to restore the man. A Samaritan moved with compassion attended to the man and brought him to an inn where he was treated. We are called to carry each other’s burdens in Christlikeness and in selflessness availing ourselves as vessels of honor ready for the work set before us. It is actually not us who do these acts of kindness but Christ who lives in us.
PRAYER
Praise the LORD oh my soul, all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases, Who redeems our lives from the pit and crowns us with love and compassion. I praise You dear Lord Jesus and exult for You are Great and greatly to be praised. I have been crucified with You Christ and I no longer live, but You Christ Who lives in me. May You take Your place in our lives dear Lord Jesus. May You grant us the grace the carry each others burdens as unto You dear Lord Jesus. May we always decrease as You increase at every moment. May our cups overflow with Your goodness and love that we may always be available for service in Your kingdom. May You heal all those who are sick and suffering in the society among us. May You deliver each one from every chain and shackles dear Savior. May You bless us dear Lord Jesus and expand all our boundaries and territories in every sphere of our lives. We praise You and honor You, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray believing and trusting. Amen
Further reading: Galatians 2:20-21
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV
”Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.“
INSIGHT
–True love is reflected in the image and likeness of God in which we are created. The Holy Spirit radiates love in our hearts and helps us day by day to be selfless. Love is the foundation of selflessness and it entails exercising of patience and humility having faith in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of humility love does not boast but ensures that we remain lowly despite our positions, wealth, education level and power. Love is not self seeking but puts first the interests of others. Jesus calls us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us and pray for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:27-28). Otherwise, what difference would we make if we live like everyone else who seeks vengeance and keeping a record of wrong. We are children of God and need to love truly in word and in deed.
SUMMARY
Selflessness according to the dictionary is lack of preoccupation with one’s own interests, advancement, desires, and attentiveness to those of others. One trait that is required for every Christian in our walk of faith is selflessness. Sometimes we care and worry about ourselves and our wants and totally forget the interests of others. We become preoccupied on our own lives and mind our own business too much and don’t give others our time, help and attention as it is required of us. True religion according to James 1:27 is to care for the needs of the orphans and widows and being unspotted from the world. We are called to be lowly in mind and esteeming others before ourselves, and looking at the interests of others before ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4). Sometimes selfishness breeds greed and one only cares about what is in for them. Selflessness calls for humility and that reflects the image of Christ. Jesus being Lord humbled Himself to the point of dying on the cross for the sins of the world and liberating us to the Father. Through His sacrificial offering we are called to be like Christ. Sacrificing our own lives, resources, knowledge, time for the sake of others. As believers we must realize that we are co-heirs with Christ, that is His brothers and sisters and therefore we should conduct ourselves and speak in a manner that reflects the image of our Father. As heirs we share in His suffering and therefore His glory (Romans 8:17). In the reflection of Christ we should give with no expectation whatsoever, for the reward comes from our Father in heaven. Selflessness results in sacrificing for others, forgiving others, making peace with others, and having more love for others including our enemies. Selflessness calls for pure love and compassion that leads us to carry the burdens of others as Christ did thus fulfilling the law of love (Galatians 6:2).
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus we thank You for loving us. Thank You for You loved us even when we were still sinners and died for us. Thank You for making us co-heirs with You. Thank You for making us kings and priests and giving us dominion to rule on earth. Thank You for loving us first. We declare that we shall achieve all that You have planned for us. We shall accomplish the mission and purpose for which You have called us. We renounce every plan of the devil to derail, delay, destroy, kill and steal that which belongs to us, our children, communities and nation. We speak peace and prosperity upon us in every sphere of our lives. May You make a way dear Lord Jesus for every orphan, widow, widower, street child, jobless person, unmarried, childless, sick and suffering among us. May You show Yourself strong in us and through us for the glory and honor of Your name. May You bless us and keep us dear Lord Jesus. May You shine Your face towards us and be gracious unto us. May You show Your countenance unto us and give us peace. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen
Further reading: Leviticus 19:18, Romans 12:9-10