Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Do I value others, in humility, above myself? This is a tall order. In our culture, this concept is not always held up as desirable. But we are called to be in the world, not of the world. I think it takes practice to always put others first. It is not automatic or natural in a lot of cases. But I certainly know people who are very good at it. I can do better, and start by remembering these words of Paul.
Holy Lord, I am hearing this message today. I will look for opportunities to value others and put them first, above my own comfort and convenience. Lead me, Lord. Amen
Becky, transforming
Wednesday March 29th, 2023
Philippians 2:3-4
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.
The Oxford dictionary explains selfless to be more concerned with the wishes and needs of others than with our own. As the eldest of seven children, I was certainly well versed in the act of selflessness.( caring for others rather than myself) Looking at the word selfless, the word tells us all we need to know. The first part of the word, self, and you have the second part of the word, less. If we turn these words around, it…
Philippians 2:3–4
Don’t be selfish: don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
These verses are so important. In today’s world, we often see just the opposite behavior. To break it down simply, just be kind to everyone. That puts away selfish behavior. Being kind keeps you focused on others, not yourself. Why you ask?
Let’s read verse 5. “You must have the same attitude that Jesus Christ had.”
Prayer: gracious God, help me daily to remember these words. Hard as they can be sometimes, I want to be more Christ-like as I work with others. Amen
Phil 2:3-4
This verse reminded me of a Wall Street Journal article this week that was sad to me:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/americans-pull-back-from-values-that-once-defined-u-s-wsj-norc-poll-finds-df8534cd
The tie-in to today’s reading was was in the response to the question on community involvement. In just 20 years this demonstration of putting the interests of others first has plummeted along with patriotism, hard work and having children. As Becky and I heard last Saturday, certain specific forms of the Church may die, but the Church of Jesus Christ will never die. If we are to be the standard bearers for Christ’s Church we need to be the ones to push back against these kinds of trends. They will know we are Christians by our love - including our…