“Do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself. Let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

Happy Friday everyone! In an interesting study of nearly 400 Americans, researchers looked at the relationship between having a purpose in life and happiness. They found that the two categories overlap, but there is one major difference. Happiness focuses on taking, while meaning and purpose focuses on giving. The researchers concluded that happiness is about feeling good. Happy people tend to think that life is easy, that they’re in good physical health, and that they’re able to buy the things they need or want.

The pursuit of happiness is actually associated with being a taker. The study stated, if anything, pure happiness is linked to not helping others in need. In contrast, people leading meaningful lives get a lot of joy from giving to others. To not serve others, and only our own needs may indeed lead to happiness, but not to lasting joy. Martin Luther went as far as to say that if our goods are not available to the community, they are stolen goods.

Philippians 2:3-4 echoes all of this, as it calls us to “Do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself. Let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others.”

Prayer
Heavenly father, we thank You that Your Son Jesus didn’t come to this earth to serve His own interests, but rather He came to serve me by serving with His very life and death at the cross.

Help me today to get beyond serving my own interests and look to serve others for their well-being. And may this bring You glory and honor for Your kingdom and Your praise. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.