A Verse
Romans 15:3
For even Christ did not please Himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
A Comment
We are constantly tempted to live to please ourselves. Yet, as Christians, our example is Christ, who did not aim to please Himself but to serve others. Doug Moo quotes Chrysostom on this point, saying of Jesus, “He had power not to have been reproached, power not to have suffered what He did suffer, had He been minded to look to His own things.” In other words, because Jesus was concerned with others, He was able to endure the insults and shame. Jesus’ example ought to shape our view of serving others as well. Our service must be marked by a concern for caring for our neighbors not pleasing ourselves.
A Prayer
O’ Father, as Your Spirit conforms me to the image of Your beloved Son, grant me to grow in the grace that will empower me to not seek to please myself but instead those who you have placed in my life for Your glory and my good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Blessing
May the Lord hide you in His shelter in the day of trouble,
conceal you under the cover of His tent,
may He set you high upon a rock. Amen.
from Grace Be with You by Dale Ralph Davis
Fallen on Me