Philippians 2:4, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
This
is a very practical Scripture and one which is often overlooked by Christian
believers. God tells us to look on the things of others, i.e., to observe
their needs, burdens and ways in which we can show forth the love of God to
them. We are living in a selfish generation in which most believers are no
better than the unsaved world, who only think about themselves moment by
moment.
We ought to pray for others and let them know that we are praying for them if they have mentioned a sick loved one to us or a special burden they have. So many people just don't care these days. And a good many more only care up to a certain point. Biblically, we ought to care always. God wants us to stop thinking about self all the time and begin to think about the problems, heartaches and suffering which other people are going through.
It is easy for a married couple to become selfish, thinking about themselves rather than each other. Many arguments would be eliminated and many divorces cancelled, if only married couples would learn to think about their spouse instead of them self all the time. Divorce is the most selfish thing a person can do, especially if one's spouse is sorrowful and regretful for mistakes made during the marriage and doesn't want a divorce. Divorce is quitting. Divorce is sinful. Divorce is an act of hypocritical self-righteousness, where a person says, "You're a bigger sinner than me and I have a right to abandon you." God hates divorce!
Many people are so preoccupied with their favorite hobby—sports, the television, cars, cooking, motorcycles, music, etc.—that they get all caught up in themselves. The Bible says life is short and unpredictable. We ought to redeem the time because every day we live is one day closer to death. It is because we do not think about others that little children are starving to death in the world. It is because we do not think about others that America's streets are saturated with homeless and poor people.
