FOOD FOR THOUGHT
(10/01/2006)
Fulfillment
Begins With Others
Pastor
Fred Tow
Two
of our primary personal needs are security and significance. In order
for us to be secure, we need to be loved and accepted unconditionally.
When we feel secure, then we feel free to focus on others instead of focusing
on ourselves. However, when we feel unloved and unaccepted, then we tend
to focus on ourselves. Many times, we are disappointed by those that we
loved. Because we are sinful beings, we place ourselves above others.
We can only find true security in Christ, who values us, loves us, and
accepts us just the way we are. There is nothing that we can do that will
increase His value for us. Christ loves us so much that He died on the
cross to pay the penalty of our sin. In spite of our short-comings, God
sees beyond where we are to where we can become.
Many
feel significant when they earn a lot of money or have a lot of possession
or have a big job title. Yes, it does give us some temporary satisfactions,
but it does not last. Every year, we need more in order to feel the same
level of significance. The problem with this view of significance is its
focus on us. But to really feel important, we need to make a vital contribution
to something greater than ourselves and beyond ourselves. The focus must
be on others. In order for us to be other-centered, we must humble ourselves
before the Lord. We must value others like Christ values us. “Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10). Our
lives will be most fulfilled when it begins with others.
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