Some years ago, I read a book by Charles
Swindoll called Laugh Again. It
is on the book of Philippians and is about joy.
In a bible study, we were discussing Php 2:3-4 and I shared that in this
book, speaking of these scriptures he gave three principles, something along
the lines of:
1.
Never
do anything prompted by pride or selfishness
2.
Always
consider others as more important than yourself
3.
Don’t
only consider your own interests but also the interests of others
Considering
these to be really good principles, we thought it would be a good idea to
remember them. Someone suggested
switching the first and second principles, thereby making an acrostic with the word AND, which
would be an easy to remember, and so that is how the AND Principle came about.
1.
Always consider others as more important than
yourself
2.
Never do anything prompted by pride or selfishness
3.
Don’t only consider your own interests but also
the interests of others
If
we would but do these three things, our lives and the lives of those around us
would be drastically changed! It takes a
rich relationship with Christ to be able to walk these out, a relationship that
takes time and focus, and which must be valued above all else. Of course, if we
are so important that we have to be at other places, have the wrong motivation,
or are too interested in our own cause, we will never be able to walk the And
Principle out.
I
believe that this principle, correctly applied, would remove a lot of the
stress out of our lives, resulting in us having more joy and God receiving more
glory. Now That’s a good thing!
Don't push your way to the front; don't
sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead.
Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long
enough to lend a helping hand. (Php 2:3-4, MSG)
