Motive Check -- Part 4

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Title: Motive Check -- Part 4 ----------------------------- Date: 2/29/2000
Keywords:   "better" "motive" "others"


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Passage: Philippians 2:3*

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Questions

1. When making a decision or taking an action, how often to do you consider its effect on others before you consider its effect on yourself?

 

2. What happens to you when you're able to consider the effect of your actions on others as more important (or better) than the effect on yourself?

 

Practical help

Motives can make you or break you.

Today we close out our look at Philippians 2:3 with a really hard exhortation from the Apostle Paul, that is, live life with a "me second" motive. It's hard because it seems to fly in the face of the usual first inclination -- "what's in it for me!"

Paul's telling you to change that first inclination to -- "what's in it for them (or her/him)!"

Is Paul telling you this because he's into to the positive psychological benefit of self-deprivation?

NO!

Paul's telling you this because he's into being a receiver and giver of God's love. And by the grace of God through Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit he understands that's why he was created! If you don't know about this amazing love, click here.

The next time you're tempted to click to a porn site ask yourself a few questions:

  1. What's really in it for that porn actor?
  2. If you see marriage ahead in your life -- what's really in it for your future spouse?
  3. What's really in it for the other side of those relationships you're hiding from?

That site may just start to lose its appeal.


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*Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version © Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.