The true service can be tested by these things, and the true servant can be tested by the measure of those virtues of Christ: utterly selfless, self-empty.
ot even the selfless silence as you intercede for an overburdened loved one, but a silence springing from absolute certainty that God knows what He’s doing. “My soul wait”.. quietly; patiently; trustingly.
Should not our love for one another reflect that pure, selfless love that the Lord Jesus demonstrated toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us?
And the faith of these dear saints was manifested, in the ongoing work they performed, to the glory of God, together with their selfless, labour of Christian love, in ministering to their brothers and sisters in Christ.
He set aside His heavenly garments of glory and dressed Himself in lowly humanity - in selfless humility and gracious condescension - and He did it for our sake.
Their sincere, selfless love came from God - for God is love and genuine love comes from Him alone and bears witness to their great salvation in Christ, for everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God - everyone who is walking in spirit and truth is knit together in Christian love.
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter and was smitten of God for our sakes – so that by grace through faith in His selfless, sacrificial work on Calvary’s cross, we might be forgiven of our sin; brought back into fellowship with God; clothed in Christ's perfect righteousness; receive access to the throne of grace, and be endowed with the riches of God’s abundant blessings towards us – in Christ Jesus our Lord.
to adopt an attitude of gracious consideration towards one another - to be like-minded, selfless and sacrificial and to demonstrate brotherly affection towards each other.
But it was not only the Lord Jesus Whom Paul used to demonstrate the gracious selflessness and sacrificial attitude that believers are exhorted to display towards their fellow man..
And the way Jesus had to travel to that pivotal point in the history of the world, was the way of the cross of Calvary, where His shed blood and selfless sacrifice, shattered the immovable barrier between sinful man and a holy God.
It is during this post-cross period that we who are saved by grace through faith in Christ are commanded to fulfil this sublime instruction to 'love', in the same selfless way that Christ loved us.
