Day 5: See Them Higher
Philippians 2:3–4 (NLT)
"Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too."
Main Idea
This might be the most counterintuitive command in the entire Bible. Think of others as better than yourself? In a world that tells you to build your personal brand, protect your energy, and put yourself first, Paul says to flip the whole thing upside down.
But notice what Paul is not saying. He’s not saying you’re worthless. He’s not saying you should have a terrible self-image. He’s not saying ignore your own needs and let people use you. The Bible never asks you to think less of yourself — it asks you to think of yourself less.
Here’s what “thinking of others as better than yourself” looks like in practice: it’s choosing to pay attention to people. It’s noticing the kid who always sits alone. It’s asking a real question and actually listening to the answer. It’s celebrating someone else’s win without immediately making it about you. It’s refusing to rank people in your head based on what they can do for you.
The world trains you to evaluate everyone you meet on a scale: Are they useful to me? Are they above me or below me? Are they worth my time? High peer esteem — the kind Paul is describing — throws that scale in the trash. It says every person you encounter is someone made in God’s image, carrying a story you don’t fully know, fighting battles you can’t see. And your job isn’t to rank them. Your job is to value them.
This is where the rubber meets the road for servant leadership. You can say you’re a servant all day long, but if you walk around mentally sorting people into “worth my attention” and “not worth my attention,” you’re not serving. You’re managing.
Real service starts the moment you decide that the person in front of you matters more than your comfort, your image, or your agenda. Not because they’ve earned it. Because that’s how God sees them. And if it’s how God sees them, it should be how you see them too.
What Else the Bible Says About This
- — Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
- — Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
- — Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
- — We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
Let’s Apply This…
Pick one person today — someone you’d normally overlook or someone you’d normally rank below you — and intentionally value them. Ask them a question about their life and genuinely listen. Offer to help with something without being asked. Let them go first. The goal isn’t to be impressive. The goal is to practice seeing people the way God sees them.
God’s Message to You
“I don’t rank my children. I don’t look at you and think, ‘This one is worth more than that one.’ I look at every person with the same deep love — the same love that moved me to send my son. And I’m asking you to borrow my eyes. When you look at people, try seeing what I see: someone I created, someone I love, someone I’m not done with yet. If you could see them the way I see them, you wouldn’t have to be told to serve. You’d want to.”
(Based on –4; ; )
Prayer
God, I rank people. I do it without even thinking about it. I walk into rooms and my brain immediately starts sorting — who’s important, who’s useful, who’s beneath me. Forgive me for that. Help me see people the way you see them. Not as tools for my success, not as competition, but as people you love deeply. Teach me what it means to value someone else above myself — not because I’m worthless, but because that’s how love works. Amen.
Reflection Questions
- Be honest: do you mentally rank the people around you? What criteria do you usually use — popularity, usefulness, appearance, intelligence?
- What’s the difference between thinking less of yourself and thinking of yourself less? Why does that distinction matter for understanding what Paul is asking?
- Who is someone in your life you tend to overlook? What would it cost you to genuinely pay attention to them this week?