“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.”
One of the marks of church unity is humility. Humility doesn’t mean putting yourself down but lifting others up. This is achieved when we serve others and seek to meet their needs. Paul tells the Philippians to “consider others more important than yourselves.” Looking out for others isn’t an option – it is essential.
Love and arrogance cannot live in the same heart. Arrogance leads to self-preservation. Self-preservation over prioritizes your needs and concerns and diminishes someone else’s.It causes us to become stingy, selfish, and narrow minded. This isn’t the mind of Christ that we have been given at the moment of salvation. With Jesus as our example, we love and serve because of His love for us.
All this talk about putting others first makes us start to think about ourselves, doesn’t it? We are so entrenched in watching out for ourself that even the thought about serving others makes us think, “What about me?” “Who is going to watch after my needs?”
The church should watch after one another. When the church is watching out for others the church will be supported, encouraged, and cared for. Remember, humility doesn’t mean putting yourself down for the sake of others, but it is an invitation to lift others up, to see that they have been made in the image of God, and to serve them the way that Jesus serves the Church.
Live It:
- How would your life look if you consider others to be more important than yourself?
- How would your schedule look if you were to prioritize others?
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Chase Snyder
Writer, Pastor
