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"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, 4).
As children, we learn instinctively to take care of many of our desires and interests. I can remember when I was a child, I constantly asked my mother to play catch with me while my three older brothers were in school. Since becoming an adult, baseball and other sports have been a very important interest in my life. Even as Christians, it is natural for us to strive after things we enjoy and desire. So when we analyze this passage in Philippians, it forces us to broaden our horizons.
My parishioners probably get tired of hearing me quote this passage so frequently, but I strongly believe that we must look out for the needs of others. My evangelism professor in seminary, Oscar Thompson, wrote a book entitled Concentric Circles. He states in the book that "relationship is the most important word in the English language. You say, but love has to be the most important word. I ask you, though, where is love if there is no relationship? Relationship is the track. Love is what rolls over the track. Love moves through a relationship. But the thing that satisfies the deepest longing of your being is relationship with someone." Dr. Thompson goes on to say that " love is defined by meeting needs."
Selfishness can so easily rear its ugly head in our lives. No matter how faithfully we trust in God, it is easy for us to resort to our old human nature and try to satisfy our personal desires. I believe that the best way to illustrate this passage is by using the marriage relationship as an example. Married couples are to live as one. There is no better way to develop that relationship to the fullest than to be more interested in the needs and desires of our spouse than our own needs and desires.
If we truly believe what Dr. Thompson so aptly said, "Love is meeting needs," then this belief should permeate everything we do. We need to strive to meet the needs and desires of everyone we see and meet. This is true of every member of the churches we attend as well as the people in our lives who are just not very loveable. So this week rather than doing only the things you enjoy, make a point to see others as more important than yourself.
Prayer: Lord, help us to always be aware of the interest, needs, and desires of those around us. Give us the strength and courage to be able to think of others as being more important than ourselves. Amen.
Paul Brigham
Pastor
First Baptist Church
Greeley, CO
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