A CHALLENGE FOR YOU AND ME

"Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others too and in what they are doing." - Phillipians 2: 3-4

I'm always amazed how I can read a simple paragraph in the Bible and be inspired to write about it. The paragraph above is loaded with challenges. That's why it jumped out at me as I read Phillipians this morning. I asked myself if I'm doing what Paul says we should do. 

Don't be selfish 
Who can say that they've never been selfish? Not me. 
  
Don't live to make a good impression on others 
We live in a culture that praises a perfect performance. Wealth is idolized. Beauty is praised. Success is admired. Material things are sought after and envied. Pressure is placed on everyone to be busy at something worthwhile. "What do you do?" is the first question they want to know about you.  

So we fall into the trap of connecting our self worth to what we do and the things we have. I'm guilty too. But I know that what I do is not what determines my value. I know that I'm not worth more if I own impressive things that people admire. 

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who takes every opportunity to talk about their work. After a while it almost sounds like bragging as they go on and on about their latest work project and all that they've accomplished since you last saw them. That type of person makes me uncomfortable and I so want to tell them to relax. I want to tell them to stop trying so hard to impress others with their work. 

When we stand before God he isn't going to compliment us on how great we were at our jobs. He won't be impressed by our financial success. We'll get no rewards for being clever at business, no praise for pulling off that beneficial trade or that profitable deal. 

God is not impressed by our work for financial gain. He's impressed by the work of our hearts, the love we show to others and the things we do to help others. Those who are rapped up in their jobs often don't have time to think of helping others. So the work that they're doing is only for this world and they'll receive no rewards for it in Heaven. 

We really should focus more on doing work that impresses God, not people We should invest our time in work that will be praised in Heaven because that's our eternal home. In case you haven't noticed, we are all aging and life on earth is passing by quickly. It makes more sense to invest in eternity than it does to get caught up in the temporary hoopla of earthly success.

Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself
It's not our nature to think of others as better than ourselves. Humility is a difficult attribute to maintain. Most of us enjoy being in the spotlight. How often are we willing to step aside so someone else can shine? How often do we consider their feelings and sacrifice our own? 

Jesus gave us the ultimate example of sacrificial love. He wasn't all about himself. He didn't try to draw attention to himself. He was humble but truthful. And he was willing to suffer for someone else's gain. That's a lot to live up to, but that's what Paul is telling us in Phillipians. Our lives shouldn't be about outdoing one another. We should be looking for opportunities to serve others and to promote their talents and abilities.  

Don't just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others too and in what they are doing
 Do you take the time to ask what's new in your friend's life or is the conversation all about your own experiences?  People who focus on themselves tend to dominate the conversation as those around them become only listeners. Paul is telling us to take an interest in the lives of others and be interested in what they are doing. 

I'm guilty of this one. I don't spend much time on Facebook commenting on what other people are posting. But if I see you in person, I will ask about your life and try to encourage you. I don't want our chat to focus only on me and my goal as a writer is not to be the center of attention. I'm simply using the talent God gave me to encourage others and lead them to a more abundant life through Christ and living out God's word.

It's a lot of work to live up to God's word. To always be considering others takes a real effort when our nature is to focus on ourselves. The temptation to impress others is hard to resist. And the habit of always talking about ourselves is hard to break. 

We almost have to reprogram our minds to take an interest in what others are doing. We have to pause and let someone else talk. Let someone else step into the spotlight and we become the audience. Then we have an opportunity to encourage, to praise, to applaud and compliment, to notice the good in others. That should be what mostly comes out of our mouths...good things about others. Now there's a challenge for you and for me.