Honor one another

Do you want to make an impact with your one and only life? Who doesn’t? I don’t know many people who would say, “I just want to live a mediocre life; I don’t want to do anything that really helps anyone or makes a difference.” No one really thinks like that; we want to make our lives count! So how can we do that? Jesus says, “Love one another”… and a great way to show love to another is by serving them.

The Bible offers dozens of “one another” commands, and many of them relate to serving God and others. Let’s explore Five Impactful Ways to Serve One Another:

1) Show honor to one another. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10. Literally, this verse is telling us to “outdo” one another in showing honor. If you are a competitive person, and most of us are, this verse is right up your alley. Win in showing honor!

Honor means to give special weight or value to another person. This isn’t natural for most people. Mostly, we think like Toby Keith famously sang, “I wanna talk about me!” But showing honor means taking a humble position. It’s about giving others more attention, more praise, more recognition than they may give you. It is saying to myself, “This person is more important than me.” Are you willing to serve others in this way? Imagine what that would look like in your relationships? “Outdo” others in showing honor!

2) Use your God-given gifts to serve one another. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10. God has given all believers spiritual gifts and talents that are to be used to serve Him and one another. Our gifts are to be used to build up the church! (Eph. 4:12). Are you using your gifts to serve? If not, why not?

3) Welcome one another. 7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7 In the original language, this word “accept” means “to welcome.” The believers in the early church in Rome were not very welcoming or accepting of other believers, especially Gentile believers. They were highly judgmental toward them.

Thankfully, we don’t have to deal with the distinction between Gentile and Jewish believers, but the principle lesson for us in this text is clear… we are to welcome other believers without hesitation, reservation or prejudice. The picture Paul paints for us is a heartfelt, arms-wide-open, warm welcome. In fact, it is the same welcome that Christ gives us!

Let me challenge you to get outside your comfort zone and strike up a conversation with someone you have never met or talked too. Maybe just say, “Have I met you before?” Then go from there… Get to know someone new at church every week! We serve others when we welcome them.

4) Submit to one another. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21. Submit is an old military term that means “to line up under”. In the military, there is a clear line of authority and soldiers respect that authority and understand it comes with great responsibility.

The idea in this text is not about “mutual” submission. It is about believers submitting to those who have authority over us. The truth is that God has sovereignty and authority over all of us; and He has placed a certain authority structure around us. The verses that follow (Eph. 5:22ff) paint a clear picture of what that authority structure looks like for believers in the context of the family.

Authority always comes with great responsibility; but so does submission. When we submit to one another in the way God’s Word teaches, life works. When we don’t, life gets chaotic fast. Many problems we see in society today stem from an unwillingness to honor authority. That starts in our own homes, following the model the Bible has clearly outlined. When we neglect it, families, churches, communities, and our nation begin to breakdown… but when we submit and lead in the way we are instructed, relationships soar! Are you leading, loving, submitting and respecting in the way the Bible teaches?

5) Strive to do what is good for one another. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. 1 Thessalonians 5:15. Paul challenges us to always strive to do good. That means to doggedly pursue doing good for others. Now that is the picture of selflessness! When we do that, we make an impression and leave a mark for Jesus Christ.

What if you woke up every day and prayed, “God, will you show me one way to do good for another today?” And then do it! It doesn’t have to take all day; maybe it is something simple, like a kind word, buying someone lunch, taking care of a friend’s toddler while they go grocery shopping, taking a meal to someone suffering a loss or recovering from surgery, paying for someone’s meal in the drive-thru. Be creative, be open, and be intentional about seeking ways to do good! There are lots of opportunities when we are looking for them.

These are five simple, but highly impactful ways, to serve one another. Start serving others today! For much more, click here to watch One Another - Part 5 - Honor One Another.