May 09 2026

Saturday May 09

Humility! “It is Not Thinking of Yourself at All”

Philippians 2:3-4

Welcome to Pastor’s Chat today. First, again I cannot thank you enough for your prayers. We had a wonderful first day of recovery from the back surgery. I was able to walk 2 tense of a mile with Edith. Was able to stay busy all day without any pain meds. And, I actually had to be warned again and again by Edith not to overdo it!  And, here I am up at 4am this morning doing this chat feeling very refreshed both spiritually and physically!!!! We are looking forward to continuing on this road of recovery and, according to what they are telling me, being back at it full blast in at least six weeks. Thank you, thank you, thank you again for your prayers!!!!

All right, let us continue here in Philippians chapter 2, verses 3 and 4. In the first two verses Paul has been talking first about the right motives for spiritual unity and a submissive mind (vs. 1-2a). Then he talked about the right marks of spiritual unity and a submissive mind (v. 2b). Now we are talking about the right means—the right means of spiritual unity (vs. 3-4).

First, in verse 3a, Paul speaks of the negative and he says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit.” That is the negative. We are to make sure we do everything in humility and that we do not have vain conceit as we do what God wants us to do with a submissive mind and with unity in the Spirit in the body of Christ.

Now in verses 3b-4, Paul goes on and deals with the positive and the practical. “…but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others.” This is humility in action.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Oswald Chambers put it this way: “It is not thinking of yourself at all.” Because as you are displaying the mind of Christ, living for Him, serving others, and putting others first, you do not have time to think about yourself.

Your prayers can, of course, be personal, asking God for grace and help in time of need. But at the same time, your prayers will mostly be intercessory. You will be concerned about the needs, hurts, pains, and sorrows of others. This is humility in action.

“Esteeming others better than yourselves” does not mean pretending others are more capable or more gifted. It means choosing to treat them as more important. I like to put it this way: Make sure every person—from the youngest baby and child to the oldest person around you—is treated as a person of tremendous value. They were created in the image of God, and God loves them. With God’s love, we should love them. And when you meet a believer, you are meeting Christ Jesus! Remember Saul’s (Paul’s) experience in Acts 9:4-5: “Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." In other words when you mistreat a believer, Jesus Himself has said that you are mistreating Him! Think about that!

My friend, this practically means rejoicing when others succeed, honoring them above yourself, and wanting what is best for them no matter who they are. That is what you pray for. That is what you desire. You see them, as Oswald Chambers says, as they are in Christ. This is exactly what Jesus did.

Then Paul adds, “Look out for the interests of others.” This does not mean ignoring your own needs. It means not stopping there. It means living with a broader perspective. Lot lived for himself. Remember Lot, Abraham’s nephew? He chose the land that looked like Egypt, near Sodom and Gomorrah, and he lost everything. Abraham chose to go the other way, wherever Lot did not go. He lived for others and became a blessing to the nations.

My friend, this is the submissive mind—not me first, but others next. When a church lives this way, joy overflows, unity is preserved, and the gospel advances with power. Here is a simple challenge this week: Ask the Lord to show you one specific way to put this into practice. Maybe it is yielding a preference. Maybe it is encouraging someone you struggle with. Remember Romans 12:21: “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 5:43–44. Pray for someone who maybe irritates you. Put this into practice, and if we do that, we will fulfill Paul’s joy. Remember he said, “Do these things; fulfill my joy.”

Now Paul already had joy in his circumstances. I believe even now we are continually fulfilling the joy of Paul and those believers who have gone on before us into heaven when we live this life of humble humility.

Today, as we close, let us pray: “Father, make us a humble, others-focused people. Root out every trace of selfish ambition and conceit. Fill us with the mind of Christ for Your glory and the unity of Your church. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

God bless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!