A man is at his best when he is living for others.

Jefferson Bethke

In humility, consider others more important than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3

The Jesuits have a mantra for their Order. 

Men for others.

I love this. 
We need more men to live for others in our world today. 
Living for others is at the heart of what it means to be a godly man.
I have tried to reflect this in the definition of masculinity we use at Forming Men.

Masculinity is "The joyful pursuit of sacrificial responsibility."

Here are 3 reflections this week to stir your heart to be a man for others.

(1)  TRIUMPH

Rome was a culture built on honor. 
There was no greater honor for a Roman General than that of getting a Triumph Parade. As one author notes, 

A Triumph provided a victorious general an unmatched forum for self-promotion as well as an opportunity to gain popularity with the Roman mob. At the end of a week-long celebration in which the spoils of war were displayed and divided among the People, the general mounted a gilded chariot, his face painted red with vermilion in imitation of Mars, the god of war, a crown of oak leaves on his head. As he rode down the Via Sacra—the city’s central avenue—thronged with citizens shouting his praise, a lone slave stood behind him in the chariot repeating, 

"You are a man. You are no god. You serve Rome."

We all need this voice behind us. 

Any success or influence we get is not to point to ourselves but to Him.
He is the one who leads us in triumphant procession.
True victory is not over others but over the ego and the flesh.

You are a man. You are no god. You serve Christ.

(2)  PERSPECTIVE 

The world we live in today distorts our sense of perspective.

You don’t need to be famous to have reality distorted for you; the algorithms do that. The level of customization we experience greatly warps our perception and creates the illusion that we are the central figure in the life of the world.

David Foster Wallace, concerned about this very phenomenon, writes, 

Everything in my own immediate experience supports my deep belief that I am the absolute center of the universe, the realest, most vivid and important person in existence. We rarely think about this sort of natural, basic self-centeredness, because it’s so socially repulsive, but it’s pretty much the same for all of us, deep down. It is our default setting, hardwired into our boards at birth. Think about it: There is no experience you’ve had that you were not at the absolute center of. The world as you experience it is there in front of you, or behind you, to the left or right of you, on your TV, or your monitor, or whatever. Other people’s thoughts and feelings have to be communicated to you somehow, but your own are immediate, urgent, real.

Maybe that’s what’s fueling our sense of narcissism in the world today. Everything in my online world is customized around my preferences. I listen to my favorite music, install my favorite apps, follow my favorite people, and watch my favorite news. Slowly but surely our attention is discipled with ourselves at the center.

Jesus IS at the center of the world, yet He chose to look at life through the lens of others. 

His heart went out to others.
His attention was drawn to others.
Jesus died for others.

In a narcissistic world, the most radical and rebellious thing you can do is learn to live and love others. 

(3)  ONE-WORD SERMON

The best sermons are the ones you remember. Here is a story of one of the best. 

It was Christmas Eve, 1910. General William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army was an invalid and near the end of his life—it was impossible for him to attend the Army’s annual convention. Someone near the General suggested that Booth send a telegram to be read at the opening of the convention to the many Salvation Army soldiers in attendance as an encouragement for their many hours of labor serving others throughout the holidays and the cold winter months. Booth agreed.

Funds were limited and telegrams charged by the word, so to ensure as much money as possible would still go to help the needy, General Booth decided to send a one-word message. He searched his mind and reviewed his years of ministry, seeking the one word that would summarize his life, the mission of the Army and encourage the soldiers to continue on.

When the thousands of delegates met, the moderator announced that Booth could not be present due to his failing health. Gloom and pessimism swept across the convention floor until the moderator announced that Booth had sent a telegram to be read at the start of the first session. He opened the message and read just one word:

"Others!"

Signed, General Booth.

Consumer Christianity is a cancer in the body of Christ. It consumes the resources designed for mission and ultimately kills itself. We need this one-word sermon in our world today. 

May we be men for others.

JESUS: A MAN FOR OTHERS

Jesus was the only messiah in history without a messiah complex.

He loved, served, sacrificed, bled, and died for others, and He did this with joy. Luke 17:7-10 reminds us that we are called to do the same.

So, you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 
‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’"

We have only done our duty.

The duty of love.
The duty of sacrifice.
The joyous duty of joining Jesus in becoming a man for others.

I’ll be fighting my own ego alongside you this week and asking God to make me a man for others.

See you at the cross.

Cheers.

Jon.