| Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. | ||
| Philippians 2:3-4 | ||
| This is the key: let each one of you esteem others as being better than yourself. How does that happen? By simply realizing that every single person around you, that every single person you meet is better than you in some way or at some thing than you are. And once we look into their lives and explore who they are, we must conclude, ‘It’s a privilege to know you. I have no right to look down on you. You’re better than me.’ My natural, carnal mind doesn’t work this way. My carnal mind wants to find fault with the person next to me so I can feel better about myself. But Paul says just the opposite: Go around school tomorrow and look at every other student as being better than you — and treat them accordingly. And as you begin to develop the mindset that you’re privileged to be with everyone around you, the result will be joy. But it can’t be done apart from dependence upon the Lord day by day, moment by moment. It’s a challenge — and yet it’s something we can choose to do. I believe verse 4 is really the key to verse 3. I will esteem others as better than myself to the degree that I listen to their stories and explore who they are — for if we knew the secret hurts and pains and suffering of even our chiefest enemy, we would find all of our animosity evaporating. If we looked into people instead of down on people, we would be filled with compassion for people. | ||
