J-O-Y = Jesus first, Yourself last, and Others in between

[Passage]: Read Philippians 2:3-4

Imagine this scene. A little girl is sick with a terminal illness. Day by day she gets sicker and sicker. Little by little, she gets weaker until she is no longer able to independently operate her daily routines. But instead, her little sister is the one that feeds her, cleans her, helps take things for her, and literally serve her. A question was posted to the younger sister. "Why do you serve your sister like that? Is it because of guilt or because she is dying?" The little girl looked up and shook her head. "No... The answer is simple... Because I love her..."

Or another scene wherein this lady gets a particular terminal disease in which as time goes by, she loses her memory and even her body funtions. She will no longer be able to control her bladder nor her bowels. She will have difficulty eating and will make a whole mess of herself. Taking care of her is a chore. But it was her best friend who took her in and when those symptoms began, it was her best friend who took care of her, no matter how difficult it was.

These stories above have one thing in common - their motivation was not money nor was it fame or guilt, but simply out of love. Take the second story for example. Neither kith nor kin yet still willing to humble herself and take care of her best friend simply because she loved her.

Paul urged the Philippians to do something somewhat similar. In Philippians 2:3-4, he wrote, "Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well." In the original language, the word "Instead" there is a very strong negative emphasis. It is like saying "DO NOT do anything motivated by selfish ambition..." but instead, do it out of humility, treating others above yourself. Do not only consider your own interest but the interest of others as well. In other words, do not be selfish or self-centered but look to touch the lives of another and help them in ways that you can. If you look into the Bible, both Old and New Testament, you will find that this is a recurring theme. Look, even Jesus forgo his divinity, came in humility not for His sake but ours (as seen in Philippians 2:6-11). I remember something that I was taught in Sunday School. Putting others above yourself produces JOY. JOY is spelt J-O-Y, Jesus first, Yourself last, and Others in between. If Jesus is put first, others is put before yourself, you get such joy.

[Response: Thank Jesus for what He did at the cross for you and I. Respond to Him and ask Him to give you a heart that puts people above yourself. Ask Him to teach you how to love others sacrificially, just as how He loved us sacrificially.]

[Action: Look for a need in the community. It may not be something you like (for example, feeding the poor). They may be dirty and smelly, but take time not only to help them in their needs but to spend some time talking to them, letting them know that whatever situation they are in, know that Jesus loves them.]