by Zeke Flores<\/p>\n
Too often, we can let our emotionally perceived needs dictate what we do rather than what we should do.<\/p>\n
In a local church, a member may feel his needs are not being met, and so he moves on to another congregation or falls away altogether. In this way, “what I want for myself” takes priority over “what my brothers and sisters need from me.” Thus, personal attention to receive takes precedence over the duty to give to others.<\/p>\n
Can both be served simultaneously? I believe that they can. The various “one another” statements by Paul strongly encourage attention to others while implying a personal blessing received for serving them. Jesus said, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive<\/em>” (Acts 20:35). I believe He’s right.<\/p>\n “Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you<\/em>” (II Corinthians 13:11).<\/p>\n “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others<\/em>” (Philippians 2:3-4).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Zeke Flores Too often, we can let our emotionally perceived needs dictate what we do rather than what we should do. In a local church, a member may feel his needs are not being met, and so he moves on to another congregation or falls away altogether. In this way, “what I want for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[448,506],"class_list":["post-89084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-church","tag-emotions"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":90696,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-want-a-church-that-meets-my-needs\/","url_meta":{"origin":89084,"position":0},"title":"I Want a Church that Meets My Needs","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by William Woodson The statement made in the title is not only the desire of many in the religious world, but it is also becoming the philosophy of many Christians, as many of us are seeking a religion that \"meets our needs.\" The phrase itself has virtually become a new\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":86400,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/church-shoppers\/","url_meta":{"origin":89084,"position":1},"title":"Church Shoppers","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Chadwick Brewer \"Love one another with brotherly affection. 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