50 SACRIFICE OR SELF F O O T ================================
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READING
50 SACRIFICE OR SELF-CENTREDNESS
PRAY “God be merciful to us and bless us: look on us with kindness’ Psalm 67:1). —————————————————————- READ Luke 22:14-38. —————————————————————- THINK How does this passage help us see the meaning of Christ’s death? —————————————————————- FOCUS Try to be a reverent onlooker as Jesus met with his disciples for this very special meal. Listen carefully to what was said. There was such a difference between the attitude of Jesus and that of his disciples. THE SPIRIT OF THE SAVIOR. The spirit of the Saviour was the spirit of SACRIFICE. He was about to face suffering (15). His body would be given (19) and his blood shed (20). Every communion service, the bread and wine remind us that through the death of Jesus we are saved from our slavery to sin. The suffering of Jesus brought in his kingdom of love (16). THE SPIRIT OF THE DISCIPLES. The spirit of the disciples was the spirit of SELF-CENTEREDNESS! What were they arguing about (24)? The disciples still thought that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom. They would need to fight for it (38). They hoped to have power in it, to be the bosses, and this led to trouble. A self-centred spirit can invade our minds, even when we don’t actually express it. We think: – “How am I appearing to the people of the neighbourhood?’ – ‘Am I doing as well on this committee as my predecessor?’ – ‘How do I compare with the other members of the group?’ This attitude makes us think of OURSELVES more than of the LORD. And it stops us from getting down to the business of just living for others (26). How might you overcome self-centredness? —————————————————————- PRAY Ask God to help you to think less about yourself, more about others, and most of all about him.