“The Things of Others” – FBC Morning Light (9/4/2023)

Well, a good Monday morning to you and a happy Labor Day. I hope you're going to get some time for some rest and refreshment today, maybe a day off of work, I trust. If not, well, I hope you have a good day at work.

Planning the Week in Light of Others

Well, anyway, today we're reading in our Bible reading plan in Isaiah 15 and 16, Philippians chapter 2, and Proverbs chapter 5. And I want to hone in on a verse in Proverbs 2. So here we are at the beginning of a new work week.

Although this is a holiday, so hmm, maybe you didn't go through this exercise this morning. But oftentimes, typically, at the beginning of every week, I sit down and look at the week ahead and I think about, you know, what are the projects I need to do, what are the things I need to focus on, do I have any special, you know, any out-of-the-ordinary meetings scheduled, and so on and so forth.

So I just look at the week ahead, and then take some time to plan the week, some things I need to get done, some things I want to get done, and so on and so forth. But I was challenged by this verse in Philippians 2, verse 4, where Paul says, let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

I got to thinking about that. As I plan and sit down and plan my day and my week, do I stop and think about the needs and the interests of others that are part of my life, or do I just think of myself?

Think of myself. Do I consider, you know, what does my wife need today? Are there people that I need to reach out to, that need a touch, that need something today? How often do we do that? Or do we just simply, as he says, look out only for our own interests?

You know, in the previous verse, he says, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than himself. Esteem others better than himself.

Well, this doesn't mean we have to walk around with like a cloud over our heads and a long face and say, I'm no good, I'm a nobody, I'm not, you know, nothing, everybody's better than I am, that kind of a, you know, glum, gust look, outlook.

No, but what it does have to do with, and these two verses really kind of go together, is that my ambition, whatever that ambition might happen to be, cannot be selfish, it can't be self-centered. It has to take into consideration others, and that ambition should have some way that it is helpful and beneficial, or a blessing, or an encouragement to other people, and not just all about me.

Otherwise, I'm just an egotist, I'm just a self-centered egotist, and what I am saying is, in that kind of selfish ambition, I'm saying I am better than everybody else. I don't even need to consider anybody else.

Paul then goes on to say, no, look, let each of you look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others. So here we are at the beginning of this week, let me just encourage you to look at the week ahead, look at the activities that you have scheduled, and the things that you want to do, and so on and so forth, but look at it through the grid of, through the eyes of, somebody else as well.

If you're married, through the eyes of your spouse, your children, your loved ones around you. Think about your participation in your local church, or is your participation in the local church, is it really all about you, or do you think about how you can be a blessing and a help in ministering to others?

My fear is that a lot of Sunday morning only Christians are Sunday morning only Christians, because they really don't think about the fact that their participation in and their being a part of a local church is really about, it has as much to do with how they can be a blessing to other people, as much at least as it has to do with how the church is a blessing to them.

So I just want to encourage you today, don't be focused only on yourself, don't think only of your own interests, but open up your eyes, look around, take into consideration the interests of others, and esteem them very highly as well.

A Prayer for Labor Day Perspective

So our Heavenly Father, we do pray today on this Labor Day, when we're taking a little extra time and taking away time from our normal routines, that we would ponder and stop and think about how much we really consider the interests of other people in all of our planning.

Challenge us with that today, we pray, in Jesus' name and for His sake. All right, well listen, have a great Labor Day and wonderful start to September, and may the Lord bless you. Good day.