Philippians 2:3, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”
Lowliness of mind – if this were the attitude of our hearts, there would be very little strife going on around us. Life seems to be full of worrying about self. All of us – young, old, educated, uneducated, etc.- seem to be affected by the “How does this affect me? syndrome. BUT, this is not God’s way. He says we are to put others first. You can’t explain the statement, “let each esteem other better than themselves,” in any other way.
I’m sure you are all familiar with the acronym for Joy:
Jesus – first — Others – second — Yourself – last.
Simple, yet, so true. This is God’s way, but it is not the natural way of man. It takes a concentrated effort on our part to put self in the back seat and put others first.
There are other verses that express this same truth:
Romans 12;10, “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;”
Romans 15:1,2, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.”
If a decision, any decision, is based only on how it affects you – you may have to step back and ask yourself if you are following God’s admonition to put others first. When you do something for others, with no thought of getting something in return, you are obeying God and being the testimony that He desires for you to be!
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