Philippians 2:3 - A Call to Common Courtesy.
Philippians 2:3 (NIV) Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others better than yourselves.
Philippians 2:3 (NLT) Dont be selfish;
dont try to impress others. Be humble, thinking
of others as better than yourselves.
WORD STUDY
Selfishness and Pride: We are to form no
plan and aim at no goal that is prompted by
selfish ambition or a desire to outdo others.
Nothing, not even for an end that is good in itself,
is pleasing to God if prompted by these
motives. [SDA Bible Commentary]
Self-esteem: A modern psychological ploy is
to attribute many personal and social problems
to individual lack of self-esteem. The
Scriptures, however, urge each of us to have
"other-esteem," not self-esteem. Our real problem is
self-centeredness and too much self-esteem. However, Paul
urges us to be lowly-minded, not highminded,
seeking the good of others, not concerned with
ourselves. [Defenders SB]
INTRODUCTION
Being humble involves having a true
perspective about ourselves (see Romans 12:3). It does
not mean that we should put ourselves down.
Before God, we are sinners, saved only by God's
grace, but we are saved and therefore have great
worth in God's Kingdom. We are to lay aside
selfishness and treat others with respect and common
courtesy. Considering others' interests as more
important than our own links us with Christ, who was a
true example of humility. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Perhaps you've never placed the word
courteous next to Christ. I hadn't until I wrote this
chapter.
But you know how you never notice
double-cab red trucks until your friend says he wants
one"then you see a dozen of them? I had never thought
much about the courtesy of Christ before, but as
I began looking, I realized that Jesus makes
Emily Post look like Archie Bunker.
He always knocks before entering. He
doesn't have to. He owns your heart. If anyone has
the right to barge in, Christ does. But he
doesn't. That gentle tap you hear? It's Christ.
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock" (Rev. 3:20
NASB).
And when you answer, he awaits your
invitation to cross the threshold.
And when he enters, he always brings a
gift. Some bring Chianti and daisies. Christ
brings "the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
And, as he stays, he serves. "For even the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to serve"
(Mark 10:45 NIV). If you're missing your apron,
you'll find it on him. He's serving the guests as
they sit (John 13:4-5). He won't eat until he's
offered thanks, and he won't leave until the
leftovers are put away (Matt. 14:19-20).
He is courteous enough to tell you his
name (Exod. 3:15) and to call you by yours (John
10:3). And when you talk, he never interrupts. He
listens.
He is even on time. Never late. Never
early. If you're checking your watch, it's because
you're on a different itinerary. "There is a time
for everything" (Eccles. 3:1). And Christ stays
on schedule.
He even opens doors for you. Paul could
preach at Troas because "the Lord had opened a
door" (2 Cor. 2:12 NIV). When I asked my dad why
men should open doors for women, his answer was
one word: "respect." Christ must have abundant
respect for you.
He knocks before he enters. He always
brings a gift. Food is served. The table is
cleared. Thanks are offered. He knows your name and
tells you his, and here is one more.
He pulls out the chair for you. "He
raised us up with Christ and gave us a seat with
him in the heavens" (Eph. 2:6).
My wife has a heart for single moms. She
loves to include a widow or divorce at the table
when we go to a restaurant. Through the years
I've noticed a common appreciation from them.
They love it when I pull out their chair. More
than once they have specifically thanked me. One
mom in particular comes to mind. "My," she
blushed, brushing the sudden moisture from her eye,
"it's been a while since anyone did that."
Has it been a while for you as well?
People can be so rude. We snatch parking places. We
forget names. We interrupt. We fail to show up.
Could you use some courtesy? Has it been a while
since someone pulled out your chair?
Then let Jesus. Don't hurry through this
thought. Receive the courtesy of Christ. He's your
groom. Does not the groom cherish the bride?
Respect the bride? Honor the bride? Let Christ do
what he longs to do.
For as you receive his love, you'll find
it easier to give yours. As you reflect on his
courtesy to you, you'll be likely to offer the same.
[Max Lucado Daily Devotional at maxlucado.com]
COMMENTARY
Dont Let Pride Be Your Guide
Every conflict that you go through in a
relationship has an element of pride mixed into it.
What is the middle letter of the word
pride? I. Whats the middle letter of the word
crime? I. Whats the middle letter of the word
sin? I.
We have an I problem! I want
what I want, and I want it now - and
that causes all kinds of problems. In fact, pride
is the root of every other sin. So, in any
relationship, never let pride be your guide.
The Bible says, Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in
humility value others above yourselves
(Philippians 2:3 NIV).
In this verse, Paul points out two
conflict-creating kinds of pride. One of them is selfish
ambition, and the other is vain conceit. Selfish
ambition says, Its all about me. Vain
conceit believes, Im always right.
Selfish ambition causes all kinds of
problems. James 3:16 says, Where you have envy and
selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every
evil practice (NIV). When you find confusion
in your workplace, your church, your home, your
marriage, and even the government, you can know that
selfish ambition and jealousy are causing it.
Vain conceit is the attitude that you are
always right. Another translation of Philippians
2:3 says, Dont live to make a good
impression on others (TLB). People do this in every
area of life, but its especially obvious on
social media; its a great temptation to make
yourself look better on the Internet than you really
are.
In Galatians, Paul lists many effects of
living with pride. He says that, when you live a
self-centered life, it shows up in all kinds of ways. He
mentions some obvious things - like self-indulgence
showing up in sexual immorality and wild partying
and getting drunk.
But most of the things on the list are
relational sins. Galatians 5:19-21 says, When you
follow the desires of your sinful nature, the
results are very clear quarreling, jealousy,
outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension,
division, envy Let me tell you again, as I have
before, that anyone living that sort of life will
not inherit the Kingdom of God (NLT).
Pride leads to all kinds of relational
discord.
If you want to be happy in your
relationships, youve got to have harmony. And if
youre going to have harmony, youve got to have
humility. Never let pride be your guide. [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
Humility Builds Relationships
Pride destroys relationships. It shows up
in a lot of different forms, like criticism,
competition, stubbornness, and superficiality.
The problem with pride is that its
self-deceiving. When you have too much pride, you dont
see it in your life - but everyone else does!
Proverbs 16:18 says, Pride leads to
destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin (NCV). I
love that same verse in The Message paraphrase:
First pride, then the crash - the bigger the ego,
the harder the fall.
While pride destroys relationships,
humility serves as its antidote, building
relationships instead. Philippians 2:3 tells you how to
combat pride by choosing humility: Be humble and
give more honor to others than to yourselves
(NCV). 1 Peter 3:8 gives more details: Everyone
must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each
other, have compassion, and be humble (GW).
How do you grow in humility? You let
Jesus Christ begin to control your thoughts,
heart, attitude, and reactions. Ephesians 4:23-24
says, Let the Spirit change your way of
thinking and make you into a new person (CEV).
The basic law of relationships is this:
You tend to become like the people you spend
time with. If you spend time with grumpy people,
you get grumpier. If you spend time with happy
people, you get happier.
If you want to become a new, humbler
person, you need to spend time with Jesus Christ,
because he is humble. By building a relationship
with him through prayer and reading his Word,
youll get to know him and become more like him.
Philippians 2:5-6 says it like this:
You must have the same attitude that Christ
Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of
equality with God as something to cling to (NLT).
Jesus is the ultimate example of
humility. He came from heaven to Earth to become a
man, live for you, give his life for you, and be
resurrected for you. When you spend time with him, it
makes you humble. That humility, in turn, builds
your relationships. [Daily Devotional by Rick
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
Hows Your Attitude?
I love the story of a sea captain who,
while navigating his ship through a storm, found
himself on a collision course with what he thought
was a large vessel in the distance. He ordered
the approaching vessel to alter its course ten
degrees south. The reply came back: "Alter your
course ten degrees north." Incensed, the captain
shot back, "Alter your course ten degrees south.
This is the Captain! I am a battleship!" The
reply came back: "Alter your course ten degrees
north. This is ensign third class. I am a
lighthouse!"
It's the attitude that is most important.
We can choose to preach ourselves and pull rank
and risk a shipwreck of all our relationships.
Or we can choose to avoid disaster, realize
there are some things we simply do not know, and
humbly alter our course.
Perhaps the finest model of humility,
other than Christ Himself, was that young Jew from
Tarsus who was radically transformed from a
strong-willed Pharisee named Saul to a bond servant of
Jesus Christ called Paul.
It's possible you have the notion that
the apostle Paul rammed his way through life
like a fully loaded battleship at sea. Blasting
and pounding toward objectives, he was just too
important to worry about those who got in his way.
Frankly, when he was Saul that pretty much summed up
his approach. So, what happened? He met the
Savior"and that changed everything . . . especially his
attitude toward others.
Take a moment to reflect on Paul's advice:
Be humble, thinking of others as better
than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own
interests, but take an interest in others, too.
Philippians 2:3-4
That's more like it!
Do you know that your attitude today
could very well determine if someone around you
resists God's invitation to bow before Him in
repentance? Maybe it's time to stand down and defer
rather than stand up tall and pull rank. Perhaps
this would be a good opportunity for you to
reconsider your approach to the situation you face
today. Before you make another move or say another
word, bow before the Lord in prayer.
Ask Him to make you more like Paul than
Saul. [Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.]
Playing Second Fiddle
I remember reading of Leonard Bernstein,
the late, legendary conductor of the New York
Philharmonic, giving an insightful answer in an informal
interview. Following a televised performance, one
admirer asked: "Mr. Bernstein, what is the most
difficult instrument to play?"
With quick wit and without even a thought
he replied:
"Second fiddle. I can get plenty of first
violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with
as much enthusiasm now that's a problem.
And yet if no one plays second, we have no
harmony."
Such profound wisdom in the maestro's
words!
Yet Jesus became the ultimate second
fiddler in God's symphony of grace in which humility
became the main motif. That's why Paul could
write:
Don't be selfish; don't try to impress
others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than
yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests,
but take an interest in others, too. You must
have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Philippians 2:3-5
I've found over the years that the most
important virtue to be formed in me by God's gracious
Spirit is a spirit of genuine humility. It's the
absence of self-promotion, or insisting on having my
way, or that my voice be heard and revered above
the voices of others. Humility keeps the gears
of my marriage and the relationships with my
children and those I work with well-oiled and
operating smoothly.
But more importantly, when I embrace the
humility of Christ, He increases and shines brightly
through me.
In simplest terms, Jesus told us to serve
and to give. His life builds a case for
unselfish living for being willing to give it all
in honor of Him.
Are you ready to play second fiddle to
Christ? I can already hear the music starting. It's
beautiful. [Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.]
Genuine Humility
We'd rather admire Paul for his strength
in trials. We want to applaud his fierce
determination against vicious persecution. If the man were
alive today, he would not tolerate our
congratulations. "No, no, no. You don't understand. I'm not
strong. The One who pours His power into me is
strong. My strength comes from my weakness." That's
no false modesty. Paul would tell us, "Strength
comes from embracing weakness and boasting in
that." It is that kind of response that brings
divine strength and allows it to spring into
action.
J. Oswald Sanders, in his book, Paul, the
Leader, writes, "We form part of a generation that
worships power - military, intellectual, economical,
scientific. The concept of power is worked into the warp
and woof of our daily living. Our entire world
is divided into power blocs. Men everywhere are
striving for power in various realms, often with
questionable motivation."
The celebrated Scottish preacher, James
Stewart, made a statement that is also challenging:
"It is always upon human weakness and
humiliation, not human strength and confidence, that God
chooses to build His Kingdom; and that He can use us
not merely in spite of our ordinariness and
helplessness and disqualifying infirmities, but precisely
because of them."
That's a thrilling discovery to make. It
transforms our mental attitude toward our
circumstances.
Let's pause long enough here to consider
this principle in all seriousness. Your
humiliations, your struggles, your battles, your
weaknesses, your feelings of inadequacy, your
helplessness, even your so-called "disqualifying"
infirmities are precisely what make you effective. I
would go further and say they represent the stuff
of greatness. Once you are convinced of your
own weakness and no longer trying to hide it,
you embrace the power of Christ. Paul modeled
that trait wonderfully, once he grasped the
principle. His pride departed and in its place emerged
a genuine humility that no amount of hardship
could erase. [Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.]
ILLUSTRATION
Conversations with my grandchildren are
always filled with life lessons. While I was
sharing lunch with my oldest granddaughter one
Sunday, our server approached our table
apologetically. A walking cast kept her from hurrying our
order to us.
My granddaughter"normally introverted
and admittedly uncomfortable making conversation
with strangers"piped up. "No need to
apologize," she said. "Feel better soon."
"Thank you," the server said, a smile
replacing her frown.
I commended my granddaughter for her
kindness to the server.
My granddaughter replied, "It's not that
hard to be a decent person. You just have to
think of someone else instead of yourself."
That line has stayed with me. It's not
that hard to be a decent person"her version of
what Jesus taught. His scribes worded it this
way: "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another" (Ephesians 4:32, ESV). "Regard
others as more important than yourselves"
(Philippians 2:3, AMP). "Love one another" (John 13:34,
NIV).
In a culture where public unkindness has
become an unpleasant and destructive trend, it
blessed me to hear a young person standing firm on a
Jesus principle, acknowledging that His
millennia-old idea is workable, doable, and the only smart
way to live. by Cynthia Ruchti
Faith Step: Jesus is alive, and so is His
kindness"and it lives through you. Show someone today
that it's not hard to be a decent person.
[Mornings With Jesus 2020 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Philippians 2:3: Selfish and Proud or Humble
and Looking for God?
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191007-1115.html
Philippians 2:5 - Having the Mind of Jesus
Requires Holy Spirit Power.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180618-2132.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
