Thinking about ourselves first is a natural thing to do. Thinking of others before ourselves is the Christ-like thing to do. Everything we know about Jesus points to Him putting others before Himself.
Romans 15:3 (ESV)
3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, not by becoming a sinner, but by becoming our propitiation (Romans 3:25). The only thing that was pleasing to Christ in doing that was knowing that He was doing the will of the Father and that He was bringing salvation to man.
If we are to have the mind of Christ, we, too, must consider others before ourselves. How often do you consider your brethren in Christ? I hope we can all say that we do so regularly. The Hebrews writer encourages us to do so.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
We should all be encouragers, not discouragers. The word consider here means “to observe carefully.” It has to do with giving something important a lot of thought. How often do you stop and ponder just how you can help make a brother or sister in Christ better? The Hebrews writer gives us one example of how we might do that. We can encourage each other to attend the assemblings of the saints by not neglecting to do so ourselves. Our assemblings are our greatest source of edification. It is a time of singing, praying, and studying the Word of God with one another. It is a great time to be stirred up to love and good works.
We consider one another because we care for each other. Paul put it like this:
1 Corinthians 12:25 (ESV)
25 That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
Interestingly, the word care here means “to take thought” and is the same word used by Jesus in the context that we studied last night. Do you remember Jesus saying do not be anxious about clothing? The word anxious is the same word translated care in 1 Corinthians 12:25. So, the same thing Jesus tells us not to do when it comes to the necessities of life, Paul tells us to do when it come to one another. While thinking too much about the physical needs that we have demonstrates a lack of faith in God to provide for us, thinking a lot about our brethren is simply a matter of love.
When we truly care for one another, we consider each other regularly and that leads to being compassionate toward each other. We think about each other and consider how we can help when one of us has a problem. We suffer together and rejoice together (1 Corinthians 12:26) because that is the way love acts. When we are in the habit of considering one another, brethren are never too far removed from our thoughts.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.