Faith

by Debbie Wallis

selfishness are sandwiched between a description of how the body of Christ should be acting and how Christ showed true humility Loving encouragement, compassion, and Spirit-led affection are the result of looking out for one another Caring about the interests of others and sharing their concerns creates real friendship The humility of Christ is a stark contrast to the self-focus that lurks in our hearts. He emptied Himself of divine glory and did not insist that He be treated according to His right He sacrificed Himself for our benefit The closest we have in this behavior is a parent and child relationship and the soldiers who go to war for our freedom Sacrificial love is the extreme act of looking out for the interests of others. God will show up in your life when you let go of your own interests and care for others

“Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves,”

Philippians 2:3

Self-focus comes so easy in our sin nature If we could see our motivations we’d be shocked at how pervasive selfishness is in our thinking

“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross,”

Philippians 2:1-8

These challenging words on

Pay attention to what others are excited about Be a cheerleader See the best in others, especially when they can’t Follow through with commitments to others Be thankful for the people God places in your life. Gratitude chases selfishness away. Be intentional. Don’t let busyness crowd out the needs of others Share the load and lend a helping hand Welcome new friends Be inclusive rather than exclusive in relationships Don’t compare or compete Celebrate the victories of others rather than be envious. Accept others as they. Be real and allow others to be real. No one is perfect, including you.

The Howe Bulldogs won their Homecoming game against Ponder Friday night with a score of 49 to 0 In our flesh we celebrate the win, congratulate the players and coaches and tell them how great they are It’s natural for us to be boastful and hopeful for the playoffs this year. Facebook will be full of names, jersey numbers and the list of who done what I was an athlete and cheerleader, and I’m a wife and momma of very alethic men I know how deep that competitive nature can run I also have a degree in Early Childhood Development and was a Children’s Pastor so my heart sees children when I think of the Ponder team. Humility and sports requires a balance just like humility in life does It takes team work; coaches, parents, teachers and fans. Friday night’s victory was full of volunteers whose name we will never hear The ticket booth, decorations, the concessions, the announcers, the photographers all the makers of those Giant Texas Mums all played a roll True humility is a joint effort because we are certainly not born that way. Thank you to everyone who served with humility to make

Homecoming meorable to our kids. Go Bulldogs!

“So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth And to the glory of God the father everyone will openly agree, ‘Jesus is Lord!’,”

Philippians 2:10-11

If you don’t have a Bible please contact me at sfadebbie@yahoo.com and I will provide you one.