Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:3-4
Have you ever wondered why so few Hollywood marriages last? One of the judges at Wimbledon once told me that his job was not so much to judge a tennis match, as it was to manage the players’ egos. He said they weren’t simply large egos; they were super-egos. That, I believe is one of the key reasons Hollywood marriages don’t last. They don’t simply have large egos; they have egos on steroids. And love is suffocated in the presence of that kind of pride. It is actually why all marriages struggle. None of us naturally think of someone else as more significant than ourselves let alone superior to us. Pride has to die or be denied in order for love to live. This is why all of us have abused God’s love. We refuse to die—deny ourselves (our will and pride), take up our cross daily (humble obedience to God alone) and follow Christ. When we do die to ourselves, this is love, but it is also very humbling. I want to encourage you this week to go beyond simple V-day giving and to surrender your pride on an issue in your home or at work as an additional act of love. You just never know, it may just melt the person’s heart better than chocolates ever will.
