We Still Must Make Sacrifices

I have been wanting to post about the sermon I heard last weekend, but school has kept me tangled up. Even now I'm having to set some studying aside in order to write this but I felt like I need to stop putting it off.
The message I heard was powerful. At least it spoke directly to my heart about a lot of things. It really gave me a new perspective on some things in my own life, and hopefully it will do the same for those of you reading this. I'll just copy the outline from my notes and hopefully you will able to follow along with it:

sermon: PREFER ONE ANOTHER

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:9-10

I) THE ATTITUDE OF PREFERING ONE ANOTHER

A) Prioritizing others - stop being selfish, self-centered, self-focused
1 Pet 4:10: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."
Proverbs 11:24-25: "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but coes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes other will himself be refreshed."
Matthew 7:12: "So in evertyhing, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
1 Cor 10:23-24: "'Everything is permissable' - but no everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible' - but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others."
Ephesians 4:29 & 32: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen... Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forigiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you."
Philippians 2:1-11, key is verses 3-5: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."

B) Dying to ourselves - get over ourselves
1 John 3:16 & 18: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers... Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

also read John 13:1-5

C) Enjoy a healthy self-image - be balanced in your life.
How to maintain a healthy self-image:
1)Be comfortable in who you are IN JESUS CHRIST
2)Be confident in your relationship WITH JESUS CHRIST
3)Be secure in your FUTURE

II) THE ACTIONS OF PREFERING ONE ANOTHER

1) Be a listener and a learner.

2) Become PEOPLE oriented instead of TASK oriented.
William Gladstone, prime minister of the UK, began dating a woman and invited her to escort him to a party. At this party, he got caught up in discussing business with other people so much that he ended up asking his friend Benjamin Disraeli to make sure that his girlfriend gets home safely. Naturally, not long after the night that Benjamin drove this woman home, she ended her relationship with William and began dating Benjamin; a man who listened to her and made an extra effort to pay attention to her. When asked what made her choose to switch the guy she was dating, she answered, "With William, all I could think was, 'what a lucky guy he is!' But with Benjamin, all I could think was, 'what a lucky girl I am!'

3) Gain the rewards.
James 4:10: "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

"The best growth God gives us is through our sacrifices for others."