Thought to Ponder: R U Serving?
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.”Ro 12:3 NIV

What Keeps Us from Serving Others?
Another thing that’ll keep you from serving others is arrogance. What others think and feel isn’t important to you. Arrogant people seldom meet people on common ground. They don’t believe they should have to, because by their own estimation they live on higher ground and shouldn’t have to descend to anyone else’s level. They expect others to come to them. Justice Louis D. Brandeis observed: “Nine-tenths of the serious controversies that arise in life result from misunderstanding, from one man not knowing the facts which to the other man seem important, or otherwise failing to appreciate his point of view.” There’s merit to the old Beatles’ song, “I Get By with a Little Help from My Friends.” It’s ridiculous for anyone to think they have all the answers. Such people seem hopelessly out-of-date. Like the “Archie Bunkers” in life, they’re opinionated and narrow-minded. If you’re familiar with the old TV comedy series All in the Family, you know Archie expected everyone to meet on his terms. Friends and family alike were exposed to his insults. In one episode he told his wife, “Your problem is, Edith, I talk in English and you hear in Dingbat!” Lines like that may be good for a laugh on TV, but in reality they’re arrogant and hurtful. When your overriding goal is to build a case for your own viewpoint, people get turned off. To win them you must build a relationship. The letters in the word “silent” also form the word “listen.” Relationships are built by listening to people, loving them, learning from them, and leaving them better off than you found them. (bob gass)