Honoring Others Above Ourselves
A spiritual man prioritizes being right with God over living a long life and is content with others being promoted above him.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the importance of prioritizing the well-being of others over oneself, illustrating that a mature spiritual person values living righteously over merely extending life. He contrasts the fear of death in earthly-minded individuals with the indifference of those who live in the Spirit, who are more concerned with their moral integrity than their lifespan. Tozer highlights that true spiritual maturity is marked by a desire to see others succeed, even at one's own expense, reflecting a heart free from envy and aligned with God's will. This selflessness and contentment in God's plan is portrayed as a source of true happiness and stability in life.
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Another desire of the spiritual man is to die right rather than to live wrong. A sure mark of the mature man of God is his nonchalance about living. The earth-loving, body-conscious Christian looks upon death with numb terror in his heart; but as he goes on to live in the Spirit he becomes increasingly indifferent to the number of his years here below, and at the same time increasingly careful of the kind of life he lives while he is here. He will not purchase a few extra days of life at the cost of compromise or failure.
He wants most of all to be right, and he is happy to let God decide how long he shall live.
He knows that he can afford to die now that he is in Christ, but he knows that he cannot afford to do wrong, and this knowledge becomes a gyroscope to stabilize his thinking and his acting. 6. The desire to see others advance at his expense is another mark of the spiritual man. He wants to see other Christians above him and is happy when they are promoted and he is overlooked. There is no envy in his heart; when his brethren are honored he is pleased because such is the will of God and that will is his earthly heaven. If God is pleased, he is pleased for that reason, and if it pleases God to exalt another above him he is content to have it so.
Sermon Outline
- The Spiritual Man's Desire to Die Right
- The Spiritual Man's Desire to See Others Advance
- Wanting others to be promoted above him
- No envy in his heart
- Contentment in God's will
Key Quotes
“He wants most of all to be right, and he is happy to let God decide how long he shall live.” — A.W. Tozer
“There is no envy in his heart; when his brethren are honored he is pleased because such is the will of God and that will is his earthly heaven.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Prioritize being right with God over living a long life.
- Cultivate a nonchalant attitude about death and the number of years on earth.
- Be content with God's will and the promotion of others.