“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
(Philippians 2:4, ESV)
(Philippians 2:4, ESV)
A man from Oklahoma does small handyman jobs for free, helping those who are disabled, overburdened, laid up, recovering from surgery, or financially unable to do the job. A woman in New York City takes time each day to speak to the homeless man who sleeps in the alley nearby. Each week, two older gentlemen get in their church van and drive to a food storage facility to acquire groceries that are almost (but not quite) beyond the expiration date. They deliver these groceries to needy families in their community. Each of these people are Christians who help others in honor of Jesus Christ.
Chris noticed a neighbor’s lawn getting totally out of hand. The weeds were two feet high. The grass hadn’t been mown in weeks. After praying about it, Chris stopped by his neighbor’s house and found out that his neighbor was recovering from surgery and could barely walk. Later that week, Chris took a morning off work and mowed his neighbor’s lawn, even doing the trimming and edging needed. Just as he was finishing up, a woman from down the block arrived and questioned why he was cutting the lawn on a house that was not his. When the woman left, she called the police saying, “There’s something wrong with this situation. Nobody would just cut someone’s lawn and do all that work for free. He must be up to something. People just don’t do that!”
Chris faced police questioning just to help a neighbor. The woman caused all kinds of problems for Chris and the police. She thought she was looking out for her neighborhood when she really was making an issue out of nothing.
Out of a deep reverence for God, some people do wonderful works of love. Heeding scriptures like Philippians 2:4, they “look not only to their own interests, but also to the interests of others.” People like Chris give freely to help others. They are a blessing to our world. On the other hand, there are people like the woman in Michigan who called the police. She thinks she is doing something helpful by involving herself “in the interests of others”. Instead, she is nosy, bossy, self-entitled, and only looking out for herself.
Our world is filled with Christians who desire to “look to the interests of others” and fulfill their own mission for Christ. Our world is also filled with people who are very good at looking out for themselves, bossing others around, being self-centered and self-absorbed. I found what the woman from Michigan told the police very interesting. While seeming to care about her neighbor’s good-will, she didn’t realize what she was doing was stifling help, interrupting God’s work, and burdening the police. That’s often what worldly people do. They act like they want to help but cause more harm than good. They talk about how much they care while only looking out for their own interests. They care more about themselves than looking out for “the interests of others” and honoring of God.
Like Chris, who wanted to do something wonderful but was stymied by a neighbor, you may find yourself wanting to do something kind but blocked by worldly people. A Christian mother who wanted to help needy children in her local school was barred by school magistrates, who didn’t want any children given “preferential treatment”. So, she was forbidden from buying food and presents for needy children at Christmas. A man offered to buy his church one hundred Bibles for the church pews. He was told to keep his money when a church committee couldn’t agree on which version of the Bible to purchase. Two men walking home from church together saw a man attacking a woman. They rushed to the woman’s aid. A week later, police visited the Christian men’s homes with warrants for their arrest. It seems the man who had attacked the woman was pressing charges, because the two men had fought him off.
In this day and age, worldly people and worldly hypocrisies will stymie your efforts to help others. That doesn’t mean you should give up! You can’t just ignore today’s scriptural command that you “look also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). Helping others in the name of Christ is part of your offerings to God. Mission work is critical for a healthy relationship with God! Don’t let nosy, selfish, self-interested people stop you from fulfilling your mission work in Jesus’ name!
Because of worldly self-interest that has not only influenced public life but infected many churches as well, there are Christians who have given up “looking to the interests of others”. They do not realize that this attitude not only perpetuates suffering, but it also causes selfishness to grow among people in churches. The more that faithful people ignore their outreach in Jesus’ name, the more self-absorbed they become.
In a meeting with a dozen pastors from different denominations, I was surprised by some of the issues causing problems in their churches. One church had an hour-long church meeting filled with bitterness. What was the cause of the hurt? The church couldn’t decide on whether to put a chandelier in the entranceway! At another church, the people were arguing about the food pantry. It seems that poor people were “dragging in mud” all over the carpet on rainy days. One pastor at that meeting expressed frustration about living in a parsonage. It seems that his church didn’t want to spend “precious” money to update the wiring of the parsonage, which was over a hundred years old! In all these situations, many of the church people involved were hyper-focused on what they wanted, how to spend their church money, and who had the “right” to speak for the church. In consensus, all the pastors at the meeting agreed that the real problem was that church members were consumed with internal politics while ignoring “the interests of others” from God’s perspective!
In 1982, Reader’s Digest Magazine published the following bit of advice to consider:
“People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest
people with the smallest pride. Think big anyway.”
Yes, worldly people can be petty, unreasonable, and not care about the interests of others. Yes, church people can be self-absorbed, selfish, arrogant, and worldly. The sin of selfishness is rampant inside and outside the church. That doesn’t stop God from calling you to faithful mission work. You need to “look to the interests of yourself as well as to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). Find ways to fulfill this scripture’s command. Seek to accomplish the will of God. Love others in the name of Jesus Christ. And never forget that acts of love done in Jesus’ name have a beautiful way of blessing others and you!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
I come before Your throne, dear Father in Heaven! I seek your guidance, grace, and wisdom. Help me to be a faithful ambassador for my Lord, Jesus Christ! Show me how to act among my peers. Teach me to love more selflessly. Open me up to Your truth!
I live in a world filled with needs. I only wish I could help more. I am aware of those with heavy hearts and onerous burdens, yet at times don’t know how to help! I see children who feel so insecure, the elderly with their canes, youth who don’t fit in, and many who lack accountability. I want to be an instrument for change but find it difficult to come up with solutions! Let your Holy Spirit inspire me with steps to take, words to say, and the right time for action.
I thank you, Heavenly Father, for sending Jesus into this crazy world! I am constantly amazed at His teachings, His knowledge, and His love. He makes me want to be more faithful. I want to do what is right. I want to make a difference in our world that is lasting. Guide me to where I can help, then show me real needs.
Not long now, I will stand before Your throne. I will be judged for my life choices. May that day be one of celebration, not dread. May my choices confirm my faith. May my words not haunt me. May I be forgiven for my errors in judgment.
With a hope borne of my love for Jesus I place my future in Your hands, Heavenly Father. Yours are strong hands…. hands I rely on and trust in! Amen.
Chris noticed a neighbor’s lawn getting totally out of hand. The weeds were two feet high. The grass hadn’t been mown in weeks. After praying about it, Chris stopped by his neighbor’s house and found out that his neighbor was recovering from surgery and could barely walk. Later that week, Chris took a morning off work and mowed his neighbor’s lawn, even doing the trimming and edging needed. Just as he was finishing up, a woman from down the block arrived and questioned why he was cutting the lawn on a house that was not his. When the woman left, she called the police saying, “There’s something wrong with this situation. Nobody would just cut someone’s lawn and do all that work for free. He must be up to something. People just don’t do that!”
Chris faced police questioning just to help a neighbor. The woman caused all kinds of problems for Chris and the police. She thought she was looking out for her neighborhood when she really was making an issue out of nothing.
Out of a deep reverence for God, some people do wonderful works of love. Heeding scriptures like Philippians 2:4, they “look not only to their own interests, but also to the interests of others.” People like Chris give freely to help others. They are a blessing to our world. On the other hand, there are people like the woman in Michigan who called the police. She thinks she is doing something helpful by involving herself “in the interests of others”. Instead, she is nosy, bossy, self-entitled, and only looking out for herself.
Our world is filled with Christians who desire to “look to the interests of others” and fulfill their own mission for Christ. Our world is also filled with people who are very good at looking out for themselves, bossing others around, being self-centered and self-absorbed. I found what the woman from Michigan told the police very interesting. While seeming to care about her neighbor’s good-will, she didn’t realize what she was doing was stifling help, interrupting God’s work, and burdening the police. That’s often what worldly people do. They act like they want to help but cause more harm than good. They talk about how much they care while only looking out for their own interests. They care more about themselves than looking out for “the interests of others” and honoring of God.
Like Chris, who wanted to do something wonderful but was stymied by a neighbor, you may find yourself wanting to do something kind but blocked by worldly people. A Christian mother who wanted to help needy children in her local school was barred by school magistrates, who didn’t want any children given “preferential treatment”. So, she was forbidden from buying food and presents for needy children at Christmas. A man offered to buy his church one hundred Bibles for the church pews. He was told to keep his money when a church committee couldn’t agree on which version of the Bible to purchase. Two men walking home from church together saw a man attacking a woman. They rushed to the woman’s aid. A week later, police visited the Christian men’s homes with warrants for their arrest. It seems the man who had attacked the woman was pressing charges, because the two men had fought him off.
In this day and age, worldly people and worldly hypocrisies will stymie your efforts to help others. That doesn’t mean you should give up! You can’t just ignore today’s scriptural command that you “look also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). Helping others in the name of Christ is part of your offerings to God. Mission work is critical for a healthy relationship with God! Don’t let nosy, selfish, self-interested people stop you from fulfilling your mission work in Jesus’ name!
Because of worldly self-interest that has not only influenced public life but infected many churches as well, there are Christians who have given up “looking to the interests of others”. They do not realize that this attitude not only perpetuates suffering, but it also causes selfishness to grow among people in churches. The more that faithful people ignore their outreach in Jesus’ name, the more self-absorbed they become.
In a meeting with a dozen pastors from different denominations, I was surprised by some of the issues causing problems in their churches. One church had an hour-long church meeting filled with bitterness. What was the cause of the hurt? The church couldn’t decide on whether to put a chandelier in the entranceway! At another church, the people were arguing about the food pantry. It seems that poor people were “dragging in mud” all over the carpet on rainy days. One pastor at that meeting expressed frustration about living in a parsonage. It seems that his church didn’t want to spend “precious” money to update the wiring of the parsonage, which was over a hundred years old! In all these situations, many of the church people involved were hyper-focused on what they wanted, how to spend their church money, and who had the “right” to speak for the church. In consensus, all the pastors at the meeting agreed that the real problem was that church members were consumed with internal politics while ignoring “the interests of others” from God’s perspective!
In 1982, Reader’s Digest Magazine published the following bit of advice to consider:
“People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest
people with the smallest pride. Think big anyway.”
Yes, worldly people can be petty, unreasonable, and not care about the interests of others. Yes, church people can be self-absorbed, selfish, arrogant, and worldly. The sin of selfishness is rampant inside and outside the church. That doesn’t stop God from calling you to faithful mission work. You need to “look to the interests of yourself as well as to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). Find ways to fulfill this scripture’s command. Seek to accomplish the will of God. Love others in the name of Jesus Christ. And never forget that acts of love done in Jesus’ name have a beautiful way of blessing others and you!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
I come before Your throne, dear Father in Heaven! I seek your guidance, grace, and wisdom. Help me to be a faithful ambassador for my Lord, Jesus Christ! Show me how to act among my peers. Teach me to love more selflessly. Open me up to Your truth!
I live in a world filled with needs. I only wish I could help more. I am aware of those with heavy hearts and onerous burdens, yet at times don’t know how to help! I see children who feel so insecure, the elderly with their canes, youth who don’t fit in, and many who lack accountability. I want to be an instrument for change but find it difficult to come up with solutions! Let your Holy Spirit inspire me with steps to take, words to say, and the right time for action.
I thank you, Heavenly Father, for sending Jesus into this crazy world! I am constantly amazed at His teachings, His knowledge, and His love. He makes me want to be more faithful. I want to do what is right. I want to make a difference in our world that is lasting. Guide me to where I can help, then show me real needs.
Not long now, I will stand before Your throne. I will be judged for my life choices. May that day be one of celebration, not dread. May my choices confirm my faith. May my words not haunt me. May I be forgiven for my errors in judgment.
With a hope borne of my love for Jesus I place my future in Your hands, Heavenly Father. Yours are strong hands…. hands I rely on and trust in! Amen.