The Heart Attitudes: Part 2Sample

  

Philippians 2:3-4

“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Romans 12:3

“For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.”

Heart Attitude #1

Put the Goals and interests of others above my own

The Greek word translated as rivalry in Philippians 2:3 can also mean selfish ambition. The word translated conceit could also be translated as vain conceit or excessive pride. Paul warns us to do nothing out of these motives. In Romans, he encourages us to think sensibly about ourselves.

It can be easy to think the wrong things about who we are. Many tend to think too highly of themselves. Pride and arrogance are prevalent, even among members of our churches. This was true of the early church as well. That is what prompted the Holy Spirit to produce these verses through the pen of the apostle. Paul certainly had his own battles with prideful thinking. If we are accomplished in the world’s eyes, it can be a real temptation to think we did this all on our own! That leads us to vain conceit!

But we can also think too little of ourselves. When that takes place, we often feel like the world owes us something. We deserve what we want because we have never had it. Our life history may be tough and so we feel that somehow, we deserve to get what we want. That false understanding leads to the selfish ambition part of the warning in these verses. The desire to get what we think we deserve can become a consuming passion.

If we are a follower of Jesus, we have been adopted into his family. We are co-heirs with Him. That status should be enough for us and will help us defeat the temptation to do things out of selfish ambition or conceit. 

How does being a part of God’s family affect the way you approach life? How does it affect your drive to achieve your desires?