Read Philippians 2
Philippians chapter two, verse three, exhorts us to do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
This verse goes against the grain, I think of everything in me, that is my sinful nature. I am so tempted to do so much from selfish ambition. Even when I'm doing what I think are good things, kinds things, for others, I'm still prone to think, "How is this going to affect the way they view me?" I've still got at least some tinge of selfish ambition, even when I'm trying to serve others.
This verse is exhorting us, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves, to be humble before others, to not even be thinking about yourself. That's the picture of humility here, it's not even thinking lowly of yourself, it's just thinking less about yourself. In humility count others more significant than yourselves, think about their significance not your significance.
This verse just beckons me then to pray for God to produce selfless ambition in me. For God to help me to in humility count others more significant than myself. I don't know if you struggle with this, but just think about your life today and what is driving you and what it would look like to have no even tinge of selfish ambition or conceit but in everything you do in humility to count others more significant than yourself.
Oh God, we need You for this to be a reality in our lives. We need Your grace, we need Your mercy, Jesus we need You. We know that's where the rest of the passage goes on to say, "Have this mind among yourself, which is yours in Christ Jesus." To have the attitude, the mindset of Christ because we know Lord Jesus that you willingly gave yourself on the cross for our salvation. You chose to humble Yourself to be obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. So thank You, we praise You for Your example of humility. And we pray that You would work that kind of humility in our lives today, in our minds, in our hearts.
God when it comes to our ambition, when it comes to our motivation for the things we do today, help us, we pray to do it in a selfless way, not thinking about ourselves but thinking about the significance of others and ultimately thinking about Your glory, what is good for pointing people to You, not ourselves. God deliver us, we pray daily from selfish ambition and conceit. Help us in humility, today to count others more significant than ourselves. In Jesus name we pray these things, amen.
The Pray the Word podcast is used with permission from Radical. For more from Pray the Word, visit radical.net.