“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10 (NIV)
We live in a world full of messages that teach us to exalt ourselves - to lift ourselves higher and higher by our jobs, statuses, relationships, and finances. Helping others
isn’t exactly looked down on, but it definitely comes second to lifting yourself up. The Christian is called to a different way of life - humility of oneself and honoring of others.
Romans 12, a chapter centered around Christ-like behavior in relationships, instructs us to honor others above ourselves.
Honoring others isn’t dishonoring yourself
If you’re a sports fan, you are probably familiar with the term “playmaker.” Its the player on your team that orchestrates the scoring drive or play for the team. In basketball,
few live up to this title of playmaker more than John Stockton. In his career in the NBA, he had over 15,000 assists - a pass which leads directly to a goal. He certainly was
a capable scorer, but his team was elevated most by his ability to pass. By assisting his teammates over and over, the Jazz made the playoffs year after year. No one
regards John Stockton as a bad scorer, but he is known for his assists. He didn’t put himself down to put his teammates in better positions to score.
The same principle applies to how we honor one another as Christians. Within the body of Christ, there are many members but only one body. Many teammates, but one
team. As members of the body, we should consistently look for and carry out opportunities to honor each other. This means looking out for others' needs above our own.
We can eagerly share our time, energy, and resources with one another, trusting that as the body of Christ, when one of us is lifted we are all exalted, and soberly
remembering that when one of us is down, all of us suffer.
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5 (NIV)
We belong to each other
As members of one body, we are important to each other in the eyes of Christ, and we should view others as important to us. In this unified body, if all of us uniformly seek
to honor each other above ourselves, no one is left out and no one is regarded as unimportant. The key is that we don’t start to think of ourselves as more important than
the others simply because of the role we play in the body of Christ or for any other reason. Other members need you as you need them. The parts of the body belong to
each other.
Your brothers and sisters in Christ are worth your time. They are worth staying up a little extra late to pray for. They are worth your resources. They are worth taking a
smaller portion if it means everyone gets something. Whatever it costs you to honor the body of Christ is worth it. In a world that bombards us with affirmations of selfish
behavior, the example of our selfless Savior shines brightly. If we are truly the body of Christ as He is truly the Head of the body, then we must follow His example of love
