“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)
So often, people gloss over entire sections of the Bible. Sadly, this means that some people have not read whole portions of God’s word. I know Christians who find the Old Testament boring. I know believers who feel the book of Revelation to be enigmatic. Some find the letters of Paul tedious. All these Christians, among others, are missing out. There are gems of wisdom, knowledge, and learning scattered all throughout the pages of the Bible!
In Numbers 32, often skimmed over by most Bible readers, there is an interesting story of note. The story consists of a conversation between Moses and the leaders of two tribes: Reuben and Gad. On the way to the promised land, Israel passed through Jazer and Gilead. This area was perfect for cattle. Leaders from Reuben and Gad asked Moses if they could take over the area around Jazer and Gilead for their cattle. Moses immediately chastised the leaders for their proposal. The promised land was still unsettled. War was still going on. Moses said to the leaders from Reuben and Gad, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?” (Numbers 32:6, ESV). In essence, the leaders of Reuben and Gad were only looking out for themselves. They wanted to take over the best land for their own cattle and opt out of the war altogether, leaving the other tribes of Israel to keep fighting while they enjoyed the fruits of the land! Moses would have none of it. He even cautioned the leaders of Reuben and Gad that their selfish proposal was likely to anger God Almighty (Numbers 32:10).
Based on Numbers 32, it is plain to see that God does not like selfishness. Many other scriptures support this line of thinking. Philippians 2:3 states: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” James adds to this discussion with these words: “…if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” (James 3:14–15). What is very interesting about this passage from James is that it equates selfish ambition with evil/demonic forces. Thus, you could even say that selfishness is “anti-God”!
The scripture for today piles on against a selfish way of life. As our chosen scripture for today, it reiterates that “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4). Hedonistic and self-serving humanistic ideals often promote people who look out for themselves, who are successful, who make a lot of money, or who have a lot of clout. These worldly ideals are in direct contradiction to the nature of God. Where God is selfless, worldly ideas are often selfish. Where God is giving, worldly ideas are often demanding, manipulative, or self-serving. Where God practices mercy and grace, the world often withholds these in favor of vengeance, greed, and pride. In the late 1900’s, the church often suffered with the advent of the “me generation”. Is it no surprise that as the “me generation” gained prominence that the number of Christians in the United States declined?
Philippians 2:4 puts a challenge to you this day. Are you going to look to your own interests or God’s interests? Are you going to be selfish or giving? Are you going to hold back your love unless you get your way or are you going to share Godly love with grace? Are you on God’s side or the side of the world?
I once met a woman who twisted the scripture for today to mean something shamefully sinful. People can do that. They can quote a scripture entirely out of context with the purpose of manipulation or sinful self-promotion. This woman was nosy. She liked to include herself in everyone’s business. She was a gossip. Sadly, she also proclaimed herself a Christian, which her selfishness proved she was not. She often used the scripture for today from Philippians 2:4 to insinuate that she had a right to gossip about “the interests of others” in order to help them. Her words and actions seldom helped and often hurt others. Her quote of the scripture was correct. Her attitude was not. She relished juicy gossip. In her church, people would go silent around her, knowing that her intent was to use the information she garnered for her own self-promotion.
Our world is overly concerned with selfishness. Greediness is looked upon as a sign of success. People take offense at others for the smallest of differences. People go online not to uplift others but to troll others. People join social media in order to compare themselves, display a prideful image, or put down others who think differently. Nasty people go online in order to promote hatred, push the buttons of others, or encourage dissention and division. News media tend to collect the worst selfish people. They shamelessly promote one candidate or ideology over another and call it “unbiased reporting”. They argue a point out of selfish concern depending on who is paying the bills. As James 3:14-15 informed us, those who are controlled by selfish ambition are “earthly, unspiritual, and demonic”.
At a marathon in Florida, young Ben Baltz (age 11) ran into a terrible problem. While running, his prosthetic leg broke loose. A screw had come undone. The boy was heartbroken and tried hopping to finish the race. Several military men in the race saw Ben struggling. One marine, Private First Class Corry Station, put Ben on his back and carried him to the finish line. Other military men gathered around them so they could all finish at the same time. They made sure that Corry Station had all the help he needed. It was just one more godly example of “looking out for the interests of others” that is promoted in our scripture for today.
If you look out for the interests of others, you don’t look to further yourself by helping. You seek to benefit another, not yourself. It is a selfless act, where no selfish ambition is involved. If you find yourself only helping when you get something out of it, you don’t understand this scripture. One would even say that you don’t understand the will of God if you can’t selflessly offer mercy and grace and love.
How well do you practice love “in the interest of others”? Are you a giving person? Do you give with strings attached? Do you want to get noticed when you do something nice? Do you look to the interests of others from a pure heart or for self-benefit? Who have you helped in godly fashion in the past few weeks? Go ahead, name each one. God is listening….. and you need to get this right!
In Numbers 32, often skimmed over by most Bible readers, there is an interesting story of note. The story consists of a conversation between Moses and the leaders of two tribes: Reuben and Gad. On the way to the promised land, Israel passed through Jazer and Gilead. This area was perfect for cattle. Leaders from Reuben and Gad asked Moses if they could take over the area around Jazer and Gilead for their cattle. Moses immediately chastised the leaders for their proposal. The promised land was still unsettled. War was still going on. Moses said to the leaders from Reuben and Gad, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?” (Numbers 32:6, ESV). In essence, the leaders of Reuben and Gad were only looking out for themselves. They wanted to take over the best land for their own cattle and opt out of the war altogether, leaving the other tribes of Israel to keep fighting while they enjoyed the fruits of the land! Moses would have none of it. He even cautioned the leaders of Reuben and Gad that their selfish proposal was likely to anger God Almighty (Numbers 32:10).
Based on Numbers 32, it is plain to see that God does not like selfishness. Many other scriptures support this line of thinking. Philippians 2:3 states: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” James adds to this discussion with these words: “…if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” (James 3:14–15). What is very interesting about this passage from James is that it equates selfish ambition with evil/demonic forces. Thus, you could even say that selfishness is “anti-God”!
The scripture for today piles on against a selfish way of life. As our chosen scripture for today, it reiterates that “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4). Hedonistic and self-serving humanistic ideals often promote people who look out for themselves, who are successful, who make a lot of money, or who have a lot of clout. These worldly ideals are in direct contradiction to the nature of God. Where God is selfless, worldly ideas are often selfish. Where God is giving, worldly ideas are often demanding, manipulative, or self-serving. Where God practices mercy and grace, the world often withholds these in favor of vengeance, greed, and pride. In the late 1900’s, the church often suffered with the advent of the “me generation”. Is it no surprise that as the “me generation” gained prominence that the number of Christians in the United States declined?
Philippians 2:4 puts a challenge to you this day. Are you going to look to your own interests or God’s interests? Are you going to be selfish or giving? Are you going to hold back your love unless you get your way or are you going to share Godly love with grace? Are you on God’s side or the side of the world?
I once met a woman who twisted the scripture for today to mean something shamefully sinful. People can do that. They can quote a scripture entirely out of context with the purpose of manipulation or sinful self-promotion. This woman was nosy. She liked to include herself in everyone’s business. She was a gossip. Sadly, she also proclaimed herself a Christian, which her selfishness proved she was not. She often used the scripture for today from Philippians 2:4 to insinuate that she had a right to gossip about “the interests of others” in order to help them. Her words and actions seldom helped and often hurt others. Her quote of the scripture was correct. Her attitude was not. She relished juicy gossip. In her church, people would go silent around her, knowing that her intent was to use the information she garnered for her own self-promotion.
Our world is overly concerned with selfishness. Greediness is looked upon as a sign of success. People take offense at others for the smallest of differences. People go online not to uplift others but to troll others. People join social media in order to compare themselves, display a prideful image, or put down others who think differently. Nasty people go online in order to promote hatred, push the buttons of others, or encourage dissention and division. News media tend to collect the worst selfish people. They shamelessly promote one candidate or ideology over another and call it “unbiased reporting”. They argue a point out of selfish concern depending on who is paying the bills. As James 3:14-15 informed us, those who are controlled by selfish ambition are “earthly, unspiritual, and demonic”.
At a marathon in Florida, young Ben Baltz (age 11) ran into a terrible problem. While running, his prosthetic leg broke loose. A screw had come undone. The boy was heartbroken and tried hopping to finish the race. Several military men in the race saw Ben struggling. One marine, Private First Class Corry Station, put Ben on his back and carried him to the finish line. Other military men gathered around them so they could all finish at the same time. They made sure that Corry Station had all the help he needed. It was just one more godly example of “looking out for the interests of others” that is promoted in our scripture for today.
If you look out for the interests of others, you don’t look to further yourself by helping. You seek to benefit another, not yourself. It is a selfless act, where no selfish ambition is involved. If you find yourself only helping when you get something out of it, you don’t understand this scripture. One would even say that you don’t understand the will of God if you can’t selflessly offer mercy and grace and love.
How well do you practice love “in the interest of others”? Are you a giving person? Do you give with strings attached? Do you want to get noticed when you do something nice? Do you look to the interests of others from a pure heart or for self-benefit? Who have you helped in godly fashion in the past few weeks? Go ahead, name each one. God is listening….. and you need to get this right!