Giving Preference

Romans 12:10

Two words recur often in Scripture: Submission & Humility. However, in many cultures they are generally avoided. Humility has been replaced by bold assertion, caring little about others. Submission has been replaced with independence, to “just do it” (as Nike advertises). For many, submission and humility have become ideas of the past.

Paul’s words in Romans 12:10 help us get around this negative bias. Instead of telling us to submit and humble ourselves, he says “Be kindly affectionate to one another…, in honor giving preference to one another”. Now that sounds different! Suddenly, the words become less offensive to our biases.

You see, the reality is that the outcomes of our daily interactions rely primarily on our willingness to GIVE PREFERENCE to each other.

Families win when husband and wife GIVE PREFERENCE to each other. Friendships last when friends HONOR EACH OTHER ABOVE THEMSELVES. Our communities win when Christ followers GIVE PREFERENCE to their neighbors.

Giving preference to one another begins when we ask questions like “Whose well being am I concerned about?” or “Who wins if I get my way?” It’s very simple, and yet so difficult at times! This may even seem unnatural to you, but here’s why it matters:

1- We were made to submit to one another:

Genesis 1:26 says “Let us make humankind in our image, in our likeness”. Typically, when we read this we think of individual attributes such as loving, kind, honorable, etc. While it is perfectly fine to read it that way, it’s also incomplete. The other way to read this is that man and woman, both of them, together, would be like the triune God. It’s a subtle change, but it helps us understand that we were made to live together in mutual submission, giving preference to one another just as God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

2- Jesus himself did it:

Jesus modeled this kind of relationship in two ways. First, He gives preference to the Father saying “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent me” (John 6:38). Secondly, Jesus gives preference to us! Philippians 2:6-8 says this: [Christ]... “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

Finally

In order to truly GIVE PREFERENCE to those around us, we must first GIVE PREFERENCE to Jesus!

We cannot truly honor others above ourselves if we don’t first give our lives to Jesus. When Jesus fulfills our deepest needs, we find freedom to give preference to one another.

In a world of selfishness and self-promotion, people are hungry for a different way of being. Giving preference to Jesus and to one another changes the tone of our relationships, our conversations, and ultimately, our witness to the world.

PS: If this was encouraging to you, visit us www.worldmethodist.org to find more faith-sharing resources.

Paulo Lopes serves at World Methodist Evangelism. You can reach him at paulo@worldmethodist.org