Living Selflessly (Part 3)

oge okonkwo

April 20, 2015 11:08 AM

To be served, you first have to serve

The Bible

Bible verse for today: Philippians 2:4 "not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others" (NIV).

Life is filled with reciprocation, to be served, you first have to serve, which implies that to achieve your goals , you have to put aside certain things that will hinder your goal.

Pride is one of them, selfishness is another and these come in the way of you and your growth.

If you care about yourself, you have to first think about others and how your personal interest affects the people around you.

The Word for Today devotional by United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) says:

John Craig says, ‘No matter how much work a man can do, no matter how engaging his personality may be, he will not advance far if he cannot work through others.’ That requires you to see value in other people. This truth is understood worldwide by successful people from every walk of life. At an international meeting of company executives, an American business person asked an executive from Japan what he regarded as the most important language for world trade. The American thought the answer would be English. But the Japanese executive, who had a more holistic understanding of business, replied, ‘My customers’ language.’ Having a good product or service isn’t enough. Becoming an expert isn’t enough. Knowing your product but not your customers just means you’ll have something to sell and no one to buy. Furthermore, the value you place on people must be genuine.

Leadership coach Bridget Haymond writes, ‘You can talk until you’re blue in the face, but people know in their gut if you really care about them.’ If you want to connect with others you have to get over yourself, change your focus from inward to outward, away from yourself and onto them. And the great thing is, you can do it. Anyone can. All it takes is the will to change, the determination to follow through and a handful of skills anybody can learn. The motivation to learn can be found in these words from the apostle, Paul: ‘Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.’ When you look for opportunities to invest in others, you’ll find them.

oge okonkwo