Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:3-4).

My first thought when I read this verse is that it’s impossible to be so selfless!  How can we “do nothing out of selfish ambition?” From the time we are young, we don’t even have to be taught to be selfish. When my kids were old enough to speak, I remember some of their first words were “mine” or “me first.”  Even as I get older, the struggle with selfishness is still a real battle (but I just get better at covering it up).

As I meditated on this verse and thought about my own struggles with selfishness, I felt pretty defeated. I prayed and asked God to speak to me about this Scripture. Not surprisingly, He started showing me person after person throughout my life who did selfless acts in His name: 

• My mom when she raised me
• People who mentored and counseled me
• Missionary speakers who inspired me
• People who gave financially or served the church

And then I also remembered …

• My Sunday school teacher who first told me about Jesus
• My camp counselor who taught me how to have a quiet time
• Godly Christians who modeled what a loving marriage looked like
• People who brought me food when I had cancer
• Volunteers who watched my kids when I needed a break 
• Friends that hugged me when I was crying
• A stranger who showed mercy after a car accident

I’m sure all of those people struggled with selfishness too, but they still chose to humble themselves and look outwardly to help others. They lived out Philippians 2:5 -- “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” This reminded me that it is Jesus who makes it possible for us to live out this command. We are not meant to do it in our own strength.  He gives us the power to look outside of ourselves and love others.  Living this way is countercultural, but it is the Jesus way. 

I think R.J. Palaio said it well in her book Wonder. “If you do this, if you act just a little kinder than necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God.”

I saw the face of God in each of those people who helped me through their selfless acts of kindness. This ignited a light in me and helped me draw closer to the Lord. The more time I spent around people who loved Jesus and served others, the more it started to rub off on me. Even though I’m still a work in progress, I’m growing in this area.

Is there a situation or person that brings out your selfishness? Jesus doesn’t expect you to defeat it on your own. Commit to spending time with God through prayer and meditating on Scripture, but also spend time with people who have a heart for God and serving others. God wants to use you to be His face to someone who needs help too.