Phil 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

 

We spoke yesterday of Hezekiah keeping things in perspective. This verse is about that as well. There is a wise word that comes out of Scripture: know yourself! Foolish people who really don't know themselves think they are so great. Popular atheists jump up and down and scream and shout about how deluded religious believers are, and go on to say 'we are the masters of our own destiny.' It just needs a little cancer scare to put things back into perspective. In fact, it only needs a common cold to bring down the most stupid and arrogant of people!

 

Our verse today is Paul calling this particular church to unity, and he knows the thing that upsets unity is people who are proud and ambitious and conceited, thinking they are better than everyone else. It's impossible to have church unity when you have people like this in the congregation.

 

No, says Paul, consider other people better than yourself. Now whether they are or not is completely irrelevant; you just consider them better than you. That's how to build up humility. When will we think like that? When we truly know ourselves, when we know that left to ourselves we are proud, ungodly and unrighteous and prone to getting it completely wrong. If you've never come to that realisation then you are vulnerable to pride and you'll find it difficult to consider others better than yourself. No, you need to ask the Lord to help you get life in perspective – then watch out!