“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Phil 2:1-4)

Paul is writing about taking a team approach and looking out for others, not just our own needs when he says not to merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

I read recently about a member of a high school track team who never won a race during his entire high school track career. He knew that he didn’t have the strength at the end of a race for the final kick, so he was satisfied to be a “pusher.” It was his task to set the pace for those on his team who had that reserve, and who would then beat him to the finish line. By setting a good early pace not only was he tiring out the opponents, he was he was enabling a fellow teammate to win. Even though he never won a race, the coach considered him a valuable member of the team.

In the same way Paul is writing about how to run the race of faith with the success of others in mind by not having selfish ambition, but thinking others better than ourselves. Looking around today that attitude seems very rare. He is talking about keeping our pride in check.

The World Series is over for this year and the baseball season is done. Then comes the frenzy as various players who don’t consider others better than themselves will start to let the world know they aren’t being appreciated by their team. Many of these players will make more in a single season that most of us will in a lifetime, yet they want their team to pay them more than others. Each year there are those who seem to have as a goal to set the record for being paid the most. They consider themselves the best at their position and therefore should be paid more than anyone else. All of this comes from comparing themselves to others and believing they deserve the most.

Long before we had sports contracts like we do today, C. S. Lewis wrote this: “We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or clev­erer, or better looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking, there would be nothing to be proud about.”

Pride afflicts all of us, not just the rich and famous. It is pride that causes us to feel hurt when someone snubs us, ignores us, or takes credit for something we did. Pride is behind the envy we feel toward people who are more successful than we are.

Lord, help me too always look for how to consider others better than myself and to be looking for ways to meet the needs of others first.

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(DISCLAIMER: I read several sources, commentaries, devotionals, etc., when I study the bible. Some of what I write is heavily inspired by what I read, and some sections may not be all my own words. I try to distill and paraphrase but there are way too many great writers who know the depths of God’s Word more than I ever will. I try to give credit where possible, and I don’t want anyone to think that everything I write comes straight from my brain – it’s all inspired by God and others He has chosen to write through. I encourage you to look to those who have also studied and written about Scripture, while at the same time remembering they are only men, and the ONLY true standard is the Word of God – everything written by me or any other human MUST be measured against that standard.)