Count Others More Significant Than Yourselves

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

Philippians 2:3

KEY THEME

We need to give of ourselves to others.

Watchman Nee tells about a Chinese Christian who owned a rice paddy next to one owned by a communist man. The Christian irrigated his paddy by pumping water out of a canal, using one leg-operated pump that makes the user appear to be seated on a bicycle. Every day, after the Christian had pumped enough water to fill his field, the communist would come out, remove some boards that kept the water in the Christian’s field and let all the water flow down into his own field. That way, he didn’t have to pump.

This continued day after day. Finally, the Christian prayed, “Lord, if this keeps up, I’m going to lose all my rice, maybe even my field. I’ve got a family to care for. What can I do?”

In answer to his request, the Lord put a thought in his mind. So, the next morning he arose much earlier, in the predawn hours of darkness, and started pumping water into the field of his communist neighbor. Then he replaced the boards and pumped water into his own rice paddy. In a few weeks, both fields of rice were doing well—and the communist was converted.

Just letting the farmer steal their water was not showing how that farmer was more important than themselves. However, by serving the farmer by filling his rice paddy before filling theirs, they showed the concept that loving one another means counting others more important than themselves. Doing so showed that by showing love as Christ commanded to a man, this man now felt the Love of God, and his life was forever changed.

SUPPORTIVE SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Matthew 5:3-10, Matthew 5:38-48,

ACTION ITEM

This week, practice giving yourself to others, go that extra mile, pray for those that persecute you, and count others as more significant than yourselves.