Fw: "ohers"

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rob Smith <toanosmith@yahoo.com>
To: Rob Smith <rsmith@mycwa.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2017 7:29 AM
Subject: "ohers"

Philippians 2:^3 "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

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If we can begin to see the "other" people that cross our paths each day as opportunities to love, to give, to serve...we may place ourselves squarely in the middle of God's plans.  Our natural tendency is to put ourselves first and look for ways that "others" can improve our situation.  In a way it is revolutionary to take the opposite tack.  It may well be that the "others" who enter your world have been placed there intentionally so that you can be part of 'God's solution' for them.

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Jesus lived for others when He came.  Consider this comment on Jesus that follows shortly after the one above:

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Philippians 2: ^6 "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."

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And Jesus had every right to "count equality with God a thing to be grasped"...because He was God!  But it wasn't His purpose in coming.

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If we put others first, it's good to remember that we are the "other person" to someone else and we are confident that our needs will be met by the One who left Heaven to meet our greatest need.  Jesus is the one who makes others into brothers (and sisters!).

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blessings,

Rob Smith