“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 2:1-5

Inability to tame our egos creates a great deal of friction, division and conflict. It can happen at work, at home, between siblings, on church boards or within congregations. Unchecked egos are killers of peace, unity and cooperation. Symptoms of needing to have my own way, taking credit for the work of others, refusing to cooperate, needing to be right, one upmanship, and elevating ourselves by subtly, or unsubtly, diminishing others are all signs of an unchecked ego. I struggle with this, as I am sure you do as well.

In my consulting role with congregations, I have seen a great deal of division caused by individuals who were driven far more by ego than they were by the character of Jesus. In this passage, Paul appeals to us to be “like-minded, having the same love, being on in spirit and purpose.” He is appealing to our best spiritual qualities. But Paul also knows what gets in the way of being one in spirit and purpose - and that is our egos.

Paul gives three words of counsel as to how we can tame our egos. First he says, “Do nothing out of vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” We conquer our need to have our way, elevate ourselves or feed our egos by considering those we interact with as better or more important than ourselves. Most people are deferential when interacting with those above them in some way. As someone has said, the test of character is not how we treat those above us but how we treat those below us - such as in the workplace. Paul is telling us to treat everyone as more important than us, which does wonders for relationships. 

Second, he says, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” lt is not wrong to have our own interests that we are concerned about. But, if we also seek to understand the interests of others, it is possible to come to a place where both can be accommodated. Ego driven people look after their interests, while humble individuals pay attention to the interests of others as well. 

Finally, Paul tells us that, “our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” when He took on the nature of a servant and humbled himself, even to death on the cross.

If we are going to be like Jesus we will develop a humble approach in our interactions with others, curb our ego and always look to the needs of others. That is what Jesus did, and it is His way.

PRAYER

Father, I know that I have often made decisions or had attitudes that displeased You because I was more concerned with getting my way than in being like you. Remind me often to live with humility, because that is what it means to look like Jesus. Amen.