Learning to Put Others First

Philippians 2:3-8 In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honour others more than yourselves. Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought. He was like God in every way, but he did not think that his being equal with God was something to use for his own benefit. Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form. During his life as a man, he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death—death on a cross.

Okay, today it’s time for another quick quiz. On a scale of zero to ten, how happy are you? Maybe that’s not quite the right question. Let’s go with how satisfied are you, on that scale of zero to ten?

The biggest con job out there, the reason so many people are so unhappy, is that we’re told that happiness comes from self-gratification. From buying and having everything we want. That new dress or pair of shoes. That smartphone or new car. That’s why most people often think to themselves “If only I earned a little bit more, just ten percent more, then I’d be happy.”

From bitter experience, I can tell you that it’s simply not true. In fact, the biggest shock I had when I became a Christian was that once I started using my God-given gifts and resources to do things for other people (something I’d never, ever done before), all of a sudden I discovered the satisfaction and contentment that I’d been looking for all those years. Why did it take me so long to figure it out?!

Philippians 2:3-8 In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honour others more than yourselves. Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought. He was like God in every way, but he did not think that his being equal with God was something to use for his own benefit. Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form. During his life as a man, he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death—death on a cross.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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