Ministry here in the Philippines has taken me to some of the poorest communities I have ever been to. Even though the people of these communities have very little food or possessions of any kind, I've noticed that the people are some of the most selfless people I've ever met. Here is a couple examples of that from the past week.
On Tuesday I went down to visit with some squatters who live by a river near our house. I met a man named Lloyd there and sat down to talk with him. Here's a short summary of his story. His father was killed in a shoot out 6 years ago when he was 17. After that Lloyd took his two brothers and two sisters and moved to Manila to find work because they could no longer rely on the family farming business. Lloyd now has a house and a job as a security guard. His siblings have either found work of their own or are in college now. As I was asking Lloyd about college he said he wanted to go but he doesn't have the money. Through talking to him some more i found out that Lloyd helps his sister pay for college and that's why he doesn't have the money to send himself to college. I pray that Lloyd would someday be able to go to college someday also. His example of how to live selflessly made me think a lot about what I'm doing with the abundance of resources I have.
On Thursday I met some more people who are living selflessly. I was at a feeding in tent city which i wrote about in a past blog. Check it out if you want to read more about the people of tent city: http://jordanjohnson.theworldrace.org/?filename=do-i-have-anything-to-complain-about
Today what I noticed about the people is how they all (men, women, and children) were willing to share their food, share their bowl, and share the toys that were being handed out. If someone didn't get any food before it ran out there was always someone there willing to share. Even the children would share with each other. This was amazing in itself because it seems like most kids I know figure out what the word "mine" means really quickly. This was just another reminder of how God calls us to live selflessly.
What I saw in tent city was not a community of people fighting over what might be the one good meal they get for the week. I saw people who are willing to put others ahead of themselves and looking out for the needs of everyone rather than them self. What would life look like if we all lived like that? I would imagine it would be pretty awesome.
"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up." Romans 15:1-2
"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. " Php. 2:1-4
We need no better example than that of Jesus Christ who made the ultimate selfless act of giving his own life up so that sinner's like you and I have the opportunity to repent of our sin, accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and live the rest of our life to glorify Him as we await the day when we will be together for all eternity in Heaven.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
