Every Person’s Challenge

At the brink of a new day or week, it is nice to know what challenges are ahead for the week. For every person, most of these challenges may be similar in terms of categories, but are quite different in other ways like intensity or frequency. Yet, for each one of us, we face one similar challenge. No matter who you are, this challenge respects no one. You ask, “So what is every person’s challenge?” Pride versus Humility

Humility Like Christ

As we begin a new day and week, we each share the challenge to live humble lives like Christ. The Apostle Paul emphasized this battle when he wrote:

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)

The mind of Christ, which is our goal, is the heart of humility. Jesus demonstrated humility by becoming obedient, even to the point of death. Through His obedience to the Father, He humbly loved God and loved others. Humility places God and others as greater than self.

Jesus demonstrates what Paul challenges us to do.

The Apostle Paul uses Jesus to illustrate what he challenges each one of us to do. Again, here’s Paul:

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, 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 interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

When we are humble, we esteem others better than ourselves. We consider what is best for the other person, what the other person needs, and what the other person wants. As we do, we prioritize these things with greater priority than what we want. In one sense, our priorities for serving another person are impacted by what we observe in the other person. We humbly seek to serve him or her.