Sunday Devotional: Philippans 2:4

Each considering not their own affairs, but each the affairs of others.

This verse is actually attached to the previous, which we looked at last week. Continuing the theme of humility, Paul goes further here than simply putting other people first (the point of verse 3), thinking of others better than ourselves. Paul now points to the “things” of others. There is no word in the Greek that represents “affairs” or “things” here other than the neuter plural definite article. This tells me that Paul is trying to be as general as possible. Exactly what “things” or “affairs” of ourselves should we not consider? And what “things” or “affairs” should be considered of others? Any and all, appears to be the answer to both questions.

Another interesting linguistic point in this verse is the way Paul uses the word “each” (Greek hekastos). This word is rarely found in a plural form, which makes sense. There is no plural of “each” in English. By definition, the word indicates a single person. “Each of you” is shorthand for “each one of you.” Yet Paul uses the plural form of “each” in the second part of this verse. From this, I gather that he is trying to underscore the fact that the church is composed of many people. We are not to be “Lone Ranger” Christians, keeping out of each other’s lives, and unconcerned with what happens to our brethren. Each person within the church should care about one another more than they care about themselves. We should all have far more concern for the things going on in the lives of others than our own.

Selfishness, self-centeredness, and “go-it-alone” individuality are not to be a part of the church. That is not what Christianity is about. Christ gave us the church as his body, and he expects us to love and care for that body. We should, therefore, be active within the body of Christ, and be praying for her and all those that are a part of her.

Let us remember this week to pray for the church, pray for those in our local churches, and strive to make the concerns of others within the church more important than our own concerns.