Inside of all of us there is a desire to get ahead. To make something of ourselves. To be successful. Actually, it’s not enough to be successful, we want to be more successful. This is the part of worldliness that 1 John called *“the pride of life.”*
And the way this manifests itself is that many people are just trying to climb the next rung on the ladder. Whether that means getting the next promotion or the next accolade. We as humans are constantly competing against each other.
But if there is one place where this attitude should never be, and it’s church. Philippians 2:3 says:
> Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
The word “strife” there means “competition” or “electioneering” and “vainglory” is a word for ego and vanity. It’s the attitude that says “I’m really quite good...so I deserve that position, not Him. What can I do to get it?”
Do you ever wonder why church’s split? It’s the fruit of this attitude popping up in our hearts. It’s a manifestation of selfishness. We need to be on the lookout for it and kill it inside of us while it’s still small.
