3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Philippians 2:3-5
Think back to 8th grade. We worried about how we looked, what other people thought about us, how we would get that new outfit or video game we wanted. How often did we think about the people in our lives at that time? I really did not see my parents, grandparents or my brothers’ lives or problems other than how their behavior impacted on my life. That is the level of maturity most of us had before we made Jesus the Lord of our lives. It was all about us.
But now with the very life of Jesus in us, we want to grow to a new level of maturity. Now not only do we need to look out for our own interests, but also for the interests of others in our lives. We need to ask ourselves how we can be of service to the people around us. Do they need encouragement, love, money, help with chores? The Lord does not expect us to meet everybody’s needs, but He wants us to be interested in the lives of others. Rather than asking “How am I doing”, we now ask “How are they doing?”
I used to think of the people at the check out at the grocery store as a kind of wall paper in my life. They were there but I never paid much attention to them. I never really saw them. Wallpaper.
But now I look at them: my neighbors, co workers, my family members, and the many people that fill my life with their help like the check out girl at the grocery store. Are they tired, happy, downcast? I try to connect by taking an interest in them and their lives. You would be surprised how many real smiles I get from people that I once never noticed. But I notice them now.
Let’s have the same attitude that Jesus had.
Jesus is Lord!
