In David Wilkerson’s daily devotional today he asks this question: Have you ever thought about what it means to truly lay down your life for your brothers and sisters? (1 John 3:16) My immediate answer would be: “it means to give up your own agenda to serve the needs of another.” Or in Paul’s exact words: “thinking of others as better than yourself” (Philippians 2:3). But in order to truly do that, you have to be dead to your ‘self.’ Therefore, the only kind of Christian who can lay down his life for a brother is one who is already dead.
Some years ago, I went through a period of intense breaking. As the Spirit revealed to me how much of self-life had been in control, I asked for forgiveness of those I had hurt because of it, I repented of not laying down my life for those I called brothers and sisters. Though for years I had been teaching others to die to self, I needed a deeper death to my own. Before I could go genuinely consider others’ needs as more important than my own, I needed to die a deeper death to my own.
Of course, the word 'dying' is in the present continuous tense, isn't it! And today, I need to be broken again. As new opportunities require more breakings! Serving others requires selflessness and humility, daily! God help us!
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