In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others– Philippians 2:3b-4

What mindset invariably leads to serving others? Humility. When we see ourselves as undeserving of the least of God’s goodness, then we esteem others better than ourselves. When our own faults are clearly before our eyes, we have no room left for criticizing others.

And when we, in genuine and personal humility, esteem others as we ought, we will cease to look for ways to please ourselves and begin to look for ways to help others. Rather than using others to better ourselves, we will use ourselves to better others.

What have your goals and thoughts been about this day? Are you planning the hours in such a way as to better your own situation or as to better the situation of others around you? Is your great concern the fulfillment of personal ambitions or is your ambition to lose yourself in the service and benefiting of God’s people around you?

How we plan our day, how we use our time, how we spend our money — these are all barometers of true humility. May your self-esteem be transformed today into service for others. May you find the great joy and satisfaction that only and paradoxically comes from giving up your own pleasure for the sake of others’.–Baptist Bible Hour”

“And went and told Jesus.” Matthew 14:12

When Herod beheaded John, his disciples took up his body and buried it, and went and told Jesus. Let us imitate their example, and carry all to Jesus. He loves to listen to the tale of human woe. He can and will sympathise with us in all our trials and troubles. He is our Father, and to whom should the child tell his troubles, but to his kind and tender parent? He will direct our steps, avenge our wrongs, and turn all things to our advantage. Does business go wrong? Are enemies active? Is corruption strong? Does faith flag? Are you tried in your family? Go and tell Jesus. It will ease your mind; prevent sin; ensure supplies; manifest relation; and frustrate the designs of Satan. Do not sit poring over your miseries; go not to creatures; neither murmur, complain, nor fret; but go to Jesus; go with speed; go in hope; go and tell Him all, without reserve. Go this morning, with all thy complaints, desires, and fears; lay them all before Him, and beseech Him to undertake for you. He loves to hear you, has promised to help you, and will certainly bless you. It is your duty, and your privilege, to pour out your heart before Him, and find Him a refuge for you.

Our sorrows and our tears we pour
Into the bosom of our God;
He hears us in the mournful hour,
And helps to bear the heavy load.— James Smith, 1840

“—-the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.”– Ex. 16:8
Does God really hear every discontented word which I ever speak?

Does He hear when I grumble about the weather . . .
about the hard winter,
about the late spring,
about the dry summer,
about the wet harvest?

Does He hear when I grumble . . .
about the frosts,
about the drought,
about the high winds,
about the storms?

Does He hear when I grumble . . .
about my circumstances,
about the hardness of my lot,
about my losses and disappointments?

If we could get into our heart, and keep there continually, the consciousness that God hears every word we speak—would we murmur and complain so much as we now do?

We are careful never to speak words which would give pain to the hearts of those we love. Are we as careful not to say anything that will grieve our heavenly Father
— J. R. Miller

“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak , they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”– Matt. 12:36
“He who complains of the weather—complains of the God who ordains the weather!” William Law

Walk as children of light: proving what is acceptable unto the Lord– Ephesians 5:8b, 10

What criteria do you use in order to decide for or against a particular action, ambition, or way of life? Do you weigh the financial benefit, the career advancement, or perhaps the physical pleasure that any given opportunity may afford?

Paul tells us, first, to walk as children of light. In other words, our lives ought to be radically, fundamentally, unmistakably different that those who do not claim Christ as their Lord and Savior. Light is glaringly different than darkness.

We should not be asking the same questions that any one in the world would ask in our same situation. We should not be making decisions that reflect the priorities and self-seeking ways of sinful, unsaved individuals. We should not have the same goals as those who don’t have an eternal perspective.

In short, Paul says, we should be testing everything to see, not whether it is pleasing to our palate or to the world, but what is acceptable to the Lord. Is this thing in agreement with His Word? Will this draw me closer to Christ? Does this further the cause of Christ in the world, through me?

Thankfully, God has not left us in the dark regarding how to walk as children of light. We do not have to guess about what is pleasing to Christ. He has given us all we need to know about His desires and pleasures by communicating them to us in His Word.

Therefore, take His Word, discover what is acceptable to the Lord, and walk in it as a child of light.–Baptist Bible Hour

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.–Psalm 1:2
 A. W. Tozer spoke what is in the heart of every godly pastor when he wrote these words, “I have often wished that there were some way to bring modern Christians into a deeper spiritual life painlessly by short easy lessons; but such wishes are vain. No shortcut exists! God has not bowed to our nervous haste nor embraced the methods of our machine age. It is well that we accept the hard truth now: the man who would know God must give time to Him! He must count no time wasted which is spent in the cultivation of His acquaintance. He must give himself to meditation and prayer hours on end. So did the saints of old, the glorious company of the apostles, the goodly fellowship of the prophets and the believing members of the holy Church in all generations. And so must we if we would follow in their train! May not the inadequacy of much of our spiritual experience be traced back to our habit of skipping through the corridors of the kingdom like little children through the marketplace, chattering about everything but pausing to learn the true value of nothing?”