Getting “me” out of the picture is hard to do, yet that is exactly what “dying to self” is all about.

1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

I’m not talking about belittling ourselves; that is self-deprecation. I’m talking about not thinking about ourselves at all concerning the Lord’s will. His will for us is the next right thing done with Him and not just for him. When people do things for Christ rather than with Him, they miss the point of the exercise.

In reverse order, these verses from Philippians 2 will help us understand:

⁵ You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,
⁴ Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.
³ Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

Christ’s interest was to carry out the will of His Father, which was to save us from our sin. He came to destroy the work of the devil and to “kill” death so that we would no longer have to fear it. Our interest should be to carry out the will of our Savior, which is to demonstrate His love to others, which will lead them to Him. Here is a good saying,

“Preach me a good sermon and I will listen;
Show me a good sermon and I will learn.”

Our peculiar ways will pique the interest of those who are being nudged by the Spirit, which will cause them to seek the Savior. It may be by them asking us questions, or it may be that it reactivates their childhood raising. In any case, Christ is working through us to reach them.

If you tire of trying, or of doing good, rest assured that you are in a good place–the end of your abilities. It is time to trust the Lord for His strength and His patience. You are now running on inspiration; it will never seem like enough, yet it is always just as much as you need. It is the mercy and grace that He gives when we need it,

¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Want to know how Christians stay humble? Being beyond our own ability to cope with a situation or person and yet doing it on Holy Spirit-power keeps us humble. Amen?

Abba, I pray that You will give us many opportunities to grow in the area of humility and service. Teach us to set ourselves aside and focus on You and Your work. It’s important both for Your work and for us. Amen.