Interacting with Other People (Part 2)
Categories: Bulletin Articles
Two defining characteristics of Christ living within us are loving God and loving our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). This is fundamental to good human interaction. Paul tells us that without love, all our efforts amount to nothing, even if I could perform the greatest of feats. “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Interacting with others must have love as its underlying motivation.
Love, when properly applied, governs our behavior for, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” One’s interactions would wholly benefit from a generous application. The trick is, of course, to take the list and apply it to every thought, word, and deed. Why do we not do this?
Selfish desires get in the way of truly loving other people as God wants us to love them. One of the problems is that we do not see our selfish desires as unloving. We see them as “necessary,” or “important,” or “first.” Does God really want us putting others ahead of self? Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” When it comes to selfish ambition or conceit, we must remove those desires in favor of others if we want to have good interactions with other people.
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley