By Pr Michael Kintu
In this generation filled with “me first” everywhere, it seems out of the ordinary to suggest that the solution for our time is others first. “If I take care of others first, who will take care of me?” you may ask.
The Bible, in Mark 2:3-5 says: “Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was.
“So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
It is amazing to note that Jesus noticed the faith of these four men and healed their friend.
There are four significant things we should note here:
- These men sought to do for their friend what he could not do for himself.
- There was a chance that they would fail to reach Jesus, but nevertheless, they were willing to try.
- They risked their own lives and reputation.
- They did not expect anything in return.
These men were kind to their friend and Jesus honored their faith by healing him as well as forgiving his sins.
Centurion in Matthew 8:5
The Centurion came to Jesus on behalf of his servant. He was Roman and I presume the servant was a Jew or of another descent.
Jesus was moved by this man’s compassion for another and honored his faith by speaking a word of healing over the sick man.
Do you see how powerful it is that we think about others first? It is a law in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus was always moved by compassion. He too wants us to be moved by the same things that move His heart.
“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9: 35-36).
John 15:13 says: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
We can never know how much people around us need us until we take off the attention from ourselves.
The temptation to keep ourselves at the center is so high, but turns out to be the fallacy of our time.
The rich fool
There is a powerful parable from Luke 12:15-21: “Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’
“So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.
But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.” The point is right here “for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses”.
Our lives are to be bigger than what we gather for ourselves. We have been called to be rich towards God. Remember the great commandment in Matthew 22:36-40:
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, 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: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Laws and the prophets.”
Try to put others first today, and you will see how God will reach out to you in more ways than you know.
Blessings!
The writer is the lead pastor at House of Revival Church, Kisaasi
