From his position in a Roman
prison, Paul the apostle wrote encouraging and challenging words to
the church located in Philippi. He desired for them to be a unified
church that “esteemed others better than themselves”. In
chapter two and verse four of the letter to the Philippians, Paul
gave the church members direction concerning where they should look
when he wrote:
Look not every man on
his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
The
verse begins, “Look not every man on his own things,...”
After sharing with the church
that they should do nothing through strife or vainglory, Paul
directed “every man”
to “look not” or
“don't look, observe, contemplate or take heed” “on
his own things” which means
“himself, herself, itself, or themselves”. Rather than
observe the natural tendency to pay attention to themselves, the
Philippian church members were to be looking in another direction.
The
verse goes on to say, “...but every man also on the things of
others.” Not only were the church members to “look not”
upon their own things, “but”, which Paul uses as a
disassociation conjunction, “every man” was to “also”
which mean “even or indeed” look “on the things of others”.
While they were not to ignore their own “things”,
they were not to be so focused upon them that they did not concern
themselves with others. When the church members in Philippi followed
Paul's words to “esteem others better than themselves”,
they would be looking upon other's things rather than simply their
own.
As we
ponder Paul's words, if we were tested for the attention we pay to
“other's things”, how would we rate? Are we so busy taking care
of our own “things” that we have no time for others who
are among us? If we belong to a church, do the concerns of others
concern us, or are we so focused on our own situations that we are
blinded to theirs? Paul's words are indeed challenging, and as we
examine ourselves we should once again consider Jesus who was and is
constantly concerned with the lives of others. In fact, He gave His
life to save ours, and that comparison sets the standard. May the
Lord Jesus and God the Father help us to observe others in the manner
of which Paul speaks.
Next
time Paul tells the Philippians what mind should be in them, so read
ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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