Adventures in Monvee - by Tim Jacobs

This Sunday's passage is Philippians 2:1-4. Verse three of that passage states, "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

You know that Monvee has tested each of us to determine what is called the "spiritual inhibitor" - that quality that keeps us from growing in the way God designed us as believers.

Check out this list: Anger, Pride/Self-Centeredness, Deception/Dishonesty, Pride of Knowledge, Anxiety, Greed/Excess, Inaction, and Misplaced Desires.

It strikes me that all of these qualities contribute to a life of self-centeredness, the exact state that Paul is encouraging us against. Instead, as he says, we've got to follow Christ's example and count others as more significant than ourselves.

My "spiritual inhibitor" (or "chief sin" as I might call it) turned out to be "greed/excess" - something I did not at all expect! But as I read the description, it told me that I have an "insatiable desire for more." And as I consider what has really tripped me up in life, I had to admit that this type of sin can be found at the root of it all.

When "nothing is ever good enough" in your life, its hard to think about the plight of others. Sure, I have every intention of really giving my best effort to counting others as more important than myself. But I'll get started on that as soon as I've gotten enough for myself(!).

This week, think about how your "chief sin" might be getting in the way of becoming someone who can really live out this verse. Do you have the courage to entrust your needs to God and truly live to pursue what is good for others?