Philippians 2:3-4

Do nothing from selfishness
or empty conceit,
but with humility of mind
regard one another
as more important than yourselves;
do not merely lookout for
your own personal interests
but also for the interests of others.
This was my mother’s
absolute favorite bible verse
she used to
quote it quite a lot
she made it her business
to do those two things.
It says that what we’re to do,
is to consider others
as more important than ourselves.
As I was meditating on that one day
several years ago, I realized this,
it is not possible for me
to make another person
more important than myself
unless I believe that I’m important.
If deep inside there’s insecurity
in my own heart,
if deep inside I don’t believe
I’m important,
do you know what my flesh
will be busy doing everyday?
Striving to make me important.
Striving to do something
to attain value,
to make me valuable and important
I don’t know if you’ve ever
had that experience
where you find
yourself feeling insecure,
not valuable
and then you perform,
you work.
You do something to try
to make yourself important
I found that as long
as I don’t believe
that I’m important,
I can’t put another person
ahead of myself to make them
more important than me.
My own flesh is compelling me
to make myself important.
How do you solve that?
I realized the bottom line of that,
is a lack of receipt of God’s love,
in every area of my life
where I don’t believe
that God really loves me.
I’m worthless.
On the other hand
in every area
that I really believe God loves me,
His love makes me valuable.
His love makes me important,
and makes it possible
for me to make my family members,
my wife, other people around me,
more important than myself.
The second part of it, Paul said
“consider the interests of others
not only your own interests.”
I discovered the same thing.
If I don’t believe that my interests
my goals, my needs
are going to be met,
do you know what my
flesh is busy doing?
Meeting my own needs.
Real busy pursuing my own goals,
Making sure my goals are met.
Making sure my needs are met,
and many times
in rebellion against God.
Actually doing things
that are contrary to God’s will.
contrary to the word of God,
trying to meet my own needs.
How do we solve that?
That’s only solved if I believe
in the depths of my heart
that God has my
interests at heart.
That there really is somebody
bigger than me,
smarter than me,
who really really loves me,
and He is going to meet my needs.
And when I believe that
in the depths of my heart,
now it makes it possible
for me to put the interests
of other people ahead of my own.
so today as you
meditate on that scripture
What areas of your
own heart are insecure?
Where you don’t
believe God really loves you,
and it makes it very difficult
to make others more important
than yourself?
And regarding your own goals,
your own agenda,
your own needs,
your own desires
In what area do
you believe that God
doesn’t want to
meet those needs
more than you do?
Because if you don’t trust
God to meet your needs,
you will be busy
meeting your own needs.
And when that happens,
it’s not possible to put the
interests of other people
ahead of your own.
if I really believed that
God’s going to meet my needs,
very easy for me to focus
and concentrate on meeting
someone else needs.
because I know I’m going
to be taken care of.
Let’s just pray today.
I’d like to just pray for you,
that today would be your day
to really let God love you.
Really become convinced
in your heart that God
has your interests at heart
more than you do;
that He really will meet
every need that you have
In what area is there a fear today?
Father I pray for each one
watching this today,
to know in the depths of the heart
my Father in heaven loves me.
My Father in heaven
wants to accomplish the things
He’s given me to do
more than I do.
He’ll meet my needs.
And Father I pray
for each one of us
that today would be our day
to put others ahead of ourselves
and to put the interests of others
ahead of ourselves
in the mighty name of Yeshua
Amen