“Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”-Philippians 2:4
It is very easy to forget that we are not the only person who exists on this planet. You may grin when you think of this statement and think, “Well, duh! Of course many others exist in this world. Even billions.” That’s true. But, what I mean when I say, “It’s easy to forget that we aren’t the only person who exists…”, is that if we are not intentional about thinking of others, looking beyond “me, myself, and I” to someone else, it’s very common to just think a lot about ourselves. If we’re honest, we all think of ourselves much more than we’d like to admit.
Remarkably, God, who could rightly think of Himself alone and how perfect and holy He truly is, thinks of us. He clearly cares for and loves the world (John 3:16). But, even more staggering — He loves us individually. God takes interest in each one of us. We know that He leaves the 99 to rescue the 1 (Matthew 18:12), displaying how much He loves each one. You and I are two of billions of people on planet earth. Yet, He is so acquainted with each of us that He knows the exact number of hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30). All this to say, the Lord very kindly thinks of each of us specifically, personally, individually. God now calls us as His followers, as Christians, to be like Him and think of others. Let’s read Philippians 2:4 again: “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” Philippians 2:5 goes on to say, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
Each day, there are many people all around us who need love. Everyone needs encouragement. All need help, hope, someone to listen, another to take interest in them. Others really do exist. Others are to become our interest. May God help us be more and more like Him, taking an interest in others! Just consider the positive and impactful affect that can be made if we were to think less about ourselves and think more about someone else and how God might work through us to encourage another. So, let’s ask others questions and listen. Let’s open our eyes and see folks all around us who could use some comfort, some help, some love. Through Christ who gives us strength, might we have the same attitude toward others that Jesus has!
Godspeed, friends.
-Scott