Bringing Out the Best

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24–25)

We will now look at the eighth “Let us” step in Hebrews, found in the above passage. Some English translations say, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another.” But the order is reversed from the original Greek, which reads, “Let us consider one another, how to stimulate to love and good deeds.” This rendering brings out the essence of this week’s resolution to consider others. We should consider one another, always seeking to bring out the best in each other.

Many people today are shut up in prisons of self-centeredness. They are never truly happy; they never enjoy true peace. In fact, the more you worry and seek to please yourself, the more problems you have. One scriptural way to be released from that prison is to stop worrying about yourself all the time. Stop being concerned about yourself and start considering your fellow believers.

We are to follow Jesus’ example and live out Paul’s exhortation:

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3–7, NASB)

The opposite of considering one another is looking out for “your own personal interests.” Release comes through being more concerned about others than you are about yourself.