Written by Austin Skiver | Mar 15, 2025 | 3 min read
There are a few habits that most Christians would say are important. Things like Bible reading, prayer, and church attendance seem like obvious habits to add to the life of a Christian. However, there is one important habit that many Christians overlook: to focus on the needs of others.
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
The Bible teaches that we should plan and have a vision for our future. I also enjoy the end of that verse, “but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” If we do the things that God has told us to do in His Word, we can have a life filled with joy and happiness.
But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
If we want to truly love God, then people will know that we do. Talk is cheap today. It used to be that a person’s word was their bond. Unfortunately, that’s not how the world is anymore. If we truly love God, we must make living for Him the focal point of our lives. How can we be sure that we are living a life focused on God? It requires one simple habit that is easy to say, but hard to practice: put your focus on serving others.
Everything about Jesus Christ was about others. He left Heaven for others. He died for others. Think about this, He died on the cross to save the entire world—everyone that has ever lived! But if He saved Himself that day, you and I would not have a chance at Heaven. Everything the Lord did was for OTHERS! How can we have a joyful life? Focus on OTHERS!
He saved others; himself he cannot save.
The world today is so worried about and focused on themselves. The world pushes a narrative to look out for yourself and your happiness. That’s not Biblical at all. Jesus Christ constantly thought of others. If we take that mindset, I guarantee you will feel more fulfilled in life.
Of course, we are sinners, and we will make mistakes. But we should do our best to have the mind of Christ and focus on helping others. How much better would the world be if we thought of someone else before ourselves? If we gave others grace when they wronged us unknowingly? If we as Christians set the standard to focusing on others, what a testimony for the Lord we could have! What a vision to have in our lives!
I wonder how many more people could be led to the Lord if we were thinking about their eternal soul? I’m as guilty of this as anyone. The easiest thing to do is to hand out a tract while going through a fast-food restaurant. The cashier isn’t going anywhere! Maybe they’ll reject it, but I can try to share it with them anyway. The problem is, we get so focused on the possible rejection. We lose sight of the fact that the person in that window could be on their way to an eternal Hell. If I have my mindset on others, though, I won’t mess up that opportunity!
This year—more than ever—I want to have the mindset of Jesus! That mindset is one of focusing on others. What a wonderful 2025 we can have—more souls saved, more souls baptized, more souls joining the church—all because we built the habit of putting others before ourselves. Let’s have a great year serving the Lord together!