Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (ESV)

Man, today’s devo took me a while to get my head around – what does this passage have to do with submission?! Okay…so, be nice and look out for others – how does that tie into submitting?  

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Let’s read this passage again in the Message version by Eugene Peterson: “Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” Ah, there we see it…

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Paul wrote these words to the church in Philippi, which was a thriving center of economic growth. It was a major hub for trade with the east, a rich gold mining area, and also had many natural springs – think a New York of the Roman world. With all the growth and wealth, human nature follows just as it does in our nation today. Paul was addressing a culture of greed and people who were only looking out for themselves. Funny how humanity hasn’t changed over the course of history!  

I’m going to drop a word here that isn’t a super popular word: submit.  

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I’ll bet you had a reaction to that word as you read it. Our country was founded on the mantra of don’t tread on me. In fact, the Gadsden flag, also known as the “don’t tread on me” flag, was created and first flown in 1775 in Chesapeake Bay harbor shortly after our nation gained independence. Our country has a history of not submitting; it seems bred into our DNA as Americans.

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Godly submission, though, isn’t laying down and dying; it’s recognizing the significance and power of something. Maybe you think of that one person at your work that fights against everything: whatever the boss says, they have a reason why it’s wrong. At my old job, I can remember seeing that person’s name on my roster and just knowing my day was going to be tough because that person brings down the whole organization. However, when we are people who choose to submit to others in love, rather than fight against each other at every turn, we will see our workplaces and communities thrive.  

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Guess what – this isn’t surprising to God! In fact, this is exactly how he created the world. When we count others more significant than ourselves, we choose to recognize the significance of that person as a child of God and the powerful potential that God might choose to work through them just as much as he’s working through us.  

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Are you only looking out for your own interests today? Or will you choose to be someone who actively looks for how God might be working through others today, too?  

Father, we praise you for your power, your grace, and your love. Father, we pray that we can look outside of our own selfish wants and see the world around us with your eyes, ready to recognize how to lift up the people around us above ourselves. Amen.