Noticing Someone Else's Interest First
Daily Scripture
Philippians 2:1-4
Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy, complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other. Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Philippi was a Roman colony where rank, connections, and public reputation determined almost everything about how you were treated. People competed openly for prestige, each one trying to be seen as slightly more important than the person next to them. That competitive instinct didn’t disappear the moment someone became a Christian. It showed up in the church too, as rivalry, factions, and people quietly keeping score.
Paul writes directly into that culture. He doesn’t tell the Philippians to stop caring what people think of them through sheer willpower. He redirects the same energy they’d normally spend chasing their own standing toward paying attention to someone else’s instead. The word he uses for humility here wasn’t a compliment in the Roman world. It described something closer to weakness, the posture of a slave rather than a citizen. Paul takes a word people used as an insult and tells the Philippians to adopt that posture.
Paul’s alternative isn’t complicated, even if it’s hard to practice. Look at what someone else needs or wants before defaulting to your own. That’s not a grand act of self-sacrifice. It’s a habit, built one ordinary interaction at a time, of paying attention to someone else’s interest before insisting on your own.
- Think of one interaction you have today, at work, at home, or somewhere in between, where your instinct will be to make sure your point gets heard or your preference wins. Before that moment happens, decide in advance to ask the other person what they want first, and let their answer shape what happens next.
- Is there someone in your life whose contribution regularly goes unnoticed, someone who does the quiet, uncredited work that keeps things running? Name that person specifically, and tell them today, in person or in writing, exactly what you noticed.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for a way of living that doesn’t require me to win every room I walk into. Forgive me for the times I’ve kept score of my own significance instead of noticing someone else’s need. Give me the kind of humility Paul describes, not thinking less of myself, but thinking of others first without keeping track. Thank you for the people who have done that for me without ever asking for credit. Amen.
GPS Insights
Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe, who serves as a Couples Small Group co-leader and Men's Group Leader, while volunteering in a variety of other capacities at Resurrection, wrote today’s Insights. He and his wife, Doris, first met in a Resurrection Single Adult Sunday School class in 1997 and were married in what is now the Student Center. They are empty nesters with 2 college-aged sons, Matthew and Jacob.
Being a huge fan of pop culture, I recall reading about the 1970’s decade being dubbed the “Me Decade” by the writer Thomas Wolfe in 1976. Wolfe contended that the public/collective movements of the 1960’s gave way to Americans turning inward, pursuing personal fulfillment, self-discovery, & asking, “What do I want out of life?” The phrase, “Look out for #1” became more than a mantra. Songs like, “I am Woman” by Helen Reddy, & “I will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, & “My Way” by Frank Sinatra echoed this new line of thinking.
Aside: I love the story of the pompous elderly matinee idol visiting a nursing home & asking an elderly lady, “Do you know who I am?” She replied, “No. But if you ask at the front desk, they’ll be happy to tell you.”
I would suggest that considering our current culture, Mr. Wolfe hadn’t seen anything yet. Our society celebrates the “selfie” where the focus of every photo in our gallery is us, our playlists are curated for our personal tastes & moods, & even our coffee has to meet our very specific preferences. It has become so extreme that people are now becoming “brands,” where the unspoken question in every meet-up is, “how does knowing you benefit me?”
Aside: There’s the story of the actress who had been going on & on about herself, finally pauses & says, “But enough about me. What do you think of me?”
Now focusing on “finding yourself” isn’t inherently bad, but I would submit that Paul believes this myopic focus can interfere in a healthy faith walk. Consider these examples:
- We might be hesitant to go to church if we don’t think we’ll get much out of the sermon topic or experience. However, this overlooks the point that church isn’t supposed to be all about us; rather it is an opportunity for us to worship God. Like the old preacher story of a pastor in Washington D.C. in the 1930’s who received a call from a potential congregant asking if President Roosevelt would be in attendance on Sunday. The pastor replied, “I don’t know. But we fully expect God to be in worship with us and He always draws a big crowd.”
- Or perhaps we see this in our small group attendance. We might be reluctant to attend because we are weary or the topic doesn’t seem particularly enticing, overlooking that this gathering could be an opportunity for us to be of comfort or blessing to the others in the group. It’s great to have friends we can count on to be our stretcher-bearers, but to whom are we a rock of support & blessing?
- Or maybe we see it in our prayer life. If we have a major prayer request, it takes top priority & we pray with passion & frequency. However, do we pray with the same fervency when it is someone else’s prayer need?
But what if we shifted away from this “Me Decade” mentality to a “We Decade” attitude like Paul urges?
- Instead of “What about me,” we might ask, “What about you?”
- Instead of “What do I get,” we might ask, “What do you need?”
- Instead of “Serve me,” we ask, “How can I serve you?”
Of course, Paul would suggest that the ultimate shift would be instead of asking, ‘How many followers do I have,” we ask, “Whom am I following?” (This is when we should all respond, “Jesus!”)
Taking Paul’s challenge to heart, today may be a good time to tweak our playlist a bit. Instead of “I Did it My Way,” perhaps we would be better served singing, “I Did it Thy Way.”
Now if you’ll excuse, me coffee order is ready. Boy, I sure hope they got it right this time.
