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Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you (Philippians 3:15, NASB1995).
Throughout my ministry, I had to resist the temptation to compare myself to other pastors and ministries that seemed more successful.
We can all easily fall into the comparison trap, and it’s a favorite temptation of our adversary. Entering this trap, we find discontent, look down upon ourselves, and then stop praising God for the good things He’s done in our lives, thinking God should be doing for us what we think He is doing for others.
Discussing this comparison trap many years ago with a mentor, he pulled out a dog-eared New American Standard Version of the Bible and said, “In Philippians 3:15, Paul says we should have a different attitude than comparing ourselves with others.”
Then he read…
Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you.
After reading this verse, my mentor friend explained, “If we want the correct attitude in life, we should start with Philippians 3:15 as it uses the word ‘attitude’ twice and even tells us to have a ‘different’ attitude.”
I agreed with him that I should guard my thoughts against comparing myself with others, and as a result, thinking badly of myself. I’ve since studied this verse several times and found the following…
- Learning the scriptural defintion of this perfect attitude (note the word “perfect” in Philippians 3:15). The word “perfect” also defined as “mature” means perfect in the sense of “just right” for that moment, like telling someone “it’s a perfect” day, not without some fault, but just the kind of day that you enjoy. I have this perfect attitude in my just-right responses to people, incidents, and thoughts throughout the day.
- When I compare myself with others, I get controlling to improve my circumstances, angry with others when they don’t comply with my agenda, and even resentful with God when He doesn’t answer my prayers according to my expectations.
In these verses (3:7-16), we learn of a non-comparing, non-manipulative, and thus peace-giving attitude through these words and phrases — things that we thought were a gain for us should be counted as a loss; count everything rubbish to gain Christ; pray to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection (and you won’t need to compare yourself with others); forgetting what lies behind and reaching to what lies ahead; and pressing toward the upward call of God in our lives.
The Greek word translated “attitude” can also be rendered “thinking” or “mindset,” but I like “attitude” because it implies that what we believe shapes our emotional health. If my “attitude” is losing everything to gain Christ, then who cares what others think?
Then my mentor concluded when discussing Philippians 3:15 with me, “This verse is a vaccine against low self-image and, properly understood, encourages large steps of faith because we only care what Jesus thinks.”
Amen!
Amen!