Paul warned the church in Philippi not to put selfish ambition first in your life. He said to think as highly of others as we think of ourselves. He did not discourage ambition; he simply focused it to proper use. Paul talks of he who desires the position of an overseer desires a good thing. He is not promoting a mentality where everyone walks over you like a doormat. But he is saying don’t let your ambition harden your heart towards others. It is not all about you succeeding at the expense of others.

This attitude of succeeding at the expense of others is prevalent in western societies to say the least. People don’t generally care about others and their welfare. Its what’s in it for me! Profit on investment and its maximization have been the core belief of many entrepreneurs and businesses. What is the bottom line? They will move factories from one country to another to maximize their profits without thought of the employees or the country left behind.

Paul says to have the same attitude as Jesus did. He laid down His life for us. He was looking far beyond the present for the sake of the whole. This attitude should be and has been at times the attitude in the church. We aren’t in this for only what we can gain. We are on this planet to fulfil our destiny, which manifests itself in the realm of the common good.

The church today seems to be labouring under the same spirit that permeates the world. Success measured in terms of bigness and prominence is the driving motivation. We cannot measure success in the kingdom of God on the bottom line of dollar signs. We can only measure success by our love for one another. That love cannot be expressed simply by measuring the numbers of people in attendance or the totals of the offerings.

Paul in I Corinthians 13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Love is the greatest. How is this love shown? Verses 4 to 7 say, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” We often don’t see these qualities expressed within the church. Some of the conflicts are far more expressive of the opposite of each of these. Paul talks about the ability to move in faith and to prophesy without love as nothing. We can do that, in fact, we can have all knowledge and wisdom, even give everything to the poor, but without love in the heart of it, we are nothing. It is considered as nothing of value or impact. It is all show with no real effect or substance. Yet we can do it and wow others with it. But without love it is nothing.

Many in the church have the attitude expressed in that Tina Turner song: “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”