Daily Devotion (February 4, 2025)
Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
I remember the words of President John Kennedys inaugural address as if they were spoken today. “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country,”
John Kennedy’s words follow the admonition of the Apostle Paul. The Christian faith is not about self. It is all about Jesus. The focus of the Christian is Jesus. Christians carry out the plan and purpose of Christ in their lives. Paul gives a warning against acting out of selfish motives or pride. The Christian faith is not about selfish motives or pride.
Selfishness and pride are replaced with humility. The Christian faith puts others ahead of self. The world promotes self-interest. Instead of selfishness and pride, believers are called to embody humility. Humility involves recognizing our own limitations and valuing the needs and contributions of others.
Jesus tells us we are to “love our neighbor as yourself.” Paul writes in Galatians 5:13, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”