3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. ~ Philippians 2:3-4
The main theme in Philippians is joy. And, in every chapter there is a unique thing about the Lord Jesus which enables us to access His joy. And, in every chapter there is a potential joy stealer. In Philippians 1, the joy stealer is our prisons, and in Philippians 2, the joy stealer is people. In Philippians 1, the unique thing about the Lord Jesus that enables us to access His joy is His life. In Philippians 2, the unique thing about the Lord that enables us to access His joy is His way of thinking which is often the exact opposite of the way we think.
It’s sad, but sometimes suffering pulls us apart. Often, when we suffer, we withdraw from others, even those whom we love. The encouragement here is that as we suffer, we serve each other in humility. Humility is not about what we think about ourselves. It’s about how we interact with one another. One translation renders this, “be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.”
“Vain conceit” means “empty glory.” The verb “empty” and the noun “glory” are both used in connection with Christ in the following verses, but in a completely different way. Christ “made himself nothing, ”literally, “emptied Himself" and God exalted Him so that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the “glory” of God the Father. Christ sought the glory of the Father, and in so doing, He was glorified.
Having been made in the image of God but damaged by sin, we are in need of being transformed. And, through our relationship with Christ, we are being changed from the inside out, so that we may be able to reflect His glory. But when we seek our own glory, seeking to establish a reputation for ourselves, it’s empty. It means nothing and has no lasting value.
The ally of unity is "humility," which begins with a proper assessment of ourselves as dependent on our Creator. When we humble ourselves before God, we see that we are valuable in His eyes, but no more valuable than anyone else.
We tend to think that agreement leads to unity. But the Apostle Paul is clear: unity is built on humility, not agreement. Unity begins when each of us starts to rethink our importance, and we change the way we act because of it. Unity is built on humility.
Such humility, then, enables us to do the seemingly impossible: "not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." This does not mean that others are more important than we are. It does not mean that we do not consider our own needs. It means, as v.4 indicates, that "we consider others’ needs more important than ours."
The verb that would be literally translated “looking to,” skopeo in the Greek, was used of a military guard, spy or scout. We are to be like a guard, a spy or a scout, looking outward and asking God whose needs we should meet. Paul considered his life “necessary” for the Philippians progress in the faith.
The quickest road to unhappiness is the freeway of Self. And if we get on that freeway of self, we will discover that it is packed. There's a lot of people on it. But, it is a dead end street, going nowhere but to frustration. On the other hand, when we get on Humble Road, although it's quite lonely, it is the quickest road to joy, real joy that is not daunted by our circumstances.
Finally, I love this quote from Andrew Murray, “Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.”
