Putting others first

Romans 12:10

Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.

Do you know a Christian who you just find so difficult to get along with? Someone who always just rubs you up the wrong way, who either intentionally or unintentionally annoys the life out of you? It probably wouldn't be hard to name a few if you've been around Christians for any length of time. But what's God's command here?

"Be devoted to one another in love"

It's such a simple instruction, yet it's so hard to do isn't it? To love others so much that you put their wellbeing above your own. To love people you find annoying that much. To be devoted not to ourselves, or to our PS3's, but to each other - to faulty, sinful, selfish humans.

Yet that's what Christ calls us to do. In fact, it's what he first demonstrated or us. The Creator of the universe, the one who deserves all glory, the perfect, holy God who reigns eternally sent his son, Jesus, int the world to live with sinners. And not only to live with us and put up with us, but to share the good news and to be the good news: He came and died on the cross in our place, taking our sin. We don't deserve that. Yet God did it for us. Not because we are good, but because he is awesome.

Yet when God tells us to do it we don't? Or we give a half-hearted attempt and try to lay the blame on someone else?

How do we show this love? Through actions. We need to honour them above ourselves. Humbly, truly and honestly put them before ourselves - even if they don't appreciate it or don't do the same for us. We need to love them and show that love not in an attempt to live well or to get attention. We need to do it for Christ, for God's glory, knowing that he sees everything and our reward is eternity with him.

Take a minute to consider honestly how your going at this. Compare your love for those people with God's love for us - there is no comparison between what he has done for us and what we do for those people. Even if we gave our lives for those people who annoy us (or even those who don't) it is still nothing compared to Christ's love for us.

We have no excuse.