Looking after our own interests…

A short lesson this morning.  Reading through Philippians this morning has reminded me of an important part of my faith.  Balance.

Phil 2:3 says:

³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  (NIV)

Often this verse is read alone and out of context.  Alone, it seems clear that we should ignore ourselves and our own needs.  But…

Phil 2:4 continues:

⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. (NIV)

Did you catch the important clarification?  The word “only”.  Every version of the Bible I have reviewed uses wording to indicate that we must BOTH look out for our own interests as well as the interests of others.

The New Living Translation puts it similarly:

³Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; ⁴do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

We must not merely look out for ourselves.  That doesn’t mean that we should ignore ourselves!  As it’s written in I Cor 6:19, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit!  Should we not also take care of the temple?

Balance…Listen, Discern and Seek the right balance in your life.  Too often the demands of life and relationships are ignored under the guise of “doing God’s will”.

Find your balance!