When I race against my kids and lose, I will sometimes say, “Well, the Bible says the last shall be first.” Of course, they never accept my excuse, but it is absolutely true in regards to gaining treasure in heaven. There are basically two attitudes we can have towards our neighbor that will affect our spiritual wealth in heaven. The first attitude is how can you help me and the second is how can I help you.
When we think primarily of ourselves, we can make sure all of our needs and wants are taken care of. We may even get ourselves to heaven, but do we want to get to heaven with just a passing score or do we want an A+? We are meant to share our gifts with others and not just use them for ourselves. By using our talents to help others, we are best making use of our gifts that God gave us and He will look on us with great love. Not only would I love to make it to heaven, but I would also love to hear one day that I helped get someone to heaven or helped someone grow closer to God.
I believe in the old saying that it is better to give than receive. It is even more meaningful to give without an expectation of having the favor returned. I wish I had the money to make a bigger difference in many people’s lives. Monetary donations can be great and helpful, but we don’t need any money to make a positive difference in at least one person’s life. When we say no to temptation, we are being a positive influence on others that see us. Conversely, when we indulge in the things of the world and put ourselves first, we are being a negative influence on others.
We all should have a sense of self worth, but we shouldn’t do things just to impress others or make ourselves look good. When we act like that, we end up turning people away from us and making ourselves look bad. Instead of highlighting ourselves, we should highlight others and especially highlight God. I don’t enjoy being on camera because I don’t think I’m photogenic at all. I prefer to be the one taking the video or photo. We should all strive to not be the center of attention. Focus on someone else and focus on God. Make others look good and what a wonderful world this would be.
