Philippians 2:3 – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. (NIV)

One year, members of a singles' church group that my son was attending planned to hold a chili contest. A lady from the group volunteered to make some chilli, but no one else was signing up; then, my son asked me to participate. When I heard that the winner was to receive an award of twenty dollars, how could I refuse! Hence, on the day of the contest, my son took the big pot of chili that I had made, while I patiently waited at home to hear the verdict.

That evening, my son returned home with my empty pot, but unfortunately, I was not the winner. Instead, my chili was deemed "second place". Later, I learned that the winner went home with her pot half full, while mine was empty! It seemed kind of funny to me, so I thought: What is wrong with this picture? My family still laughs about it, but seriously, through this experience, God has taught me some important lessons.

First, things are not always how they appear. I made the assumption that the contest was not fair based on the fact that my competitor still had chili in her pot, but perhaps I am missing other facts. For example, maybe her pot was bigger than mine. Secondly, the more I thought about it, I understood why this group wanted their member to have the award: I'm sure that she needed the money (as well as the left-over chili) more than I did. Naturally, I think it was the right thing to do. Thirdly, today's verse reminded me of the importance of putting others before ourselves, contrary to the world's philosophy.

Consider Jesus' own words:

Matthew 20:27 – And whoever has a desire to be first among you, let him take the lowest place. (The Bible in Basic English – BBE)

What a challenge for believers to apply this teaching to our daily lives! If we are willing, however, then God will grant us the wisdom to change selfish attitudes.

Therefore, now that I have seen the situation through God's eyes, how can I complain? Second-place chili is not so bad after all!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, through the power of Your Spirit, help us to live our lives according to Your Word. Teach us humility and enable us to obey Your commandments so that we may serve You by putting others first. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, in Whose blessed name we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Lori Ciccanti <dlalsina@mchsi.com>
Ocean View, Delaware, USA
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