The Last shall be first; the First shall be last.  This biblical phrase seems to run counter to what average Americans strive for in their lives.  It isn’t what we want to hear and yet over and over counter-cultural phrases challenge us – Love your enemies; turn the other cheek…

I was reading my daily scripture recently and the following passage really stood out:

Philippians 2: 3-4.  “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but everyone for those of others.

This is the ideal; the Christ-like action.  It made me think of why we need some government regulations even if we would rather be free of them.   Unfortunately, not all nations, corporations, or individuals are as philanthropic as they should be.  Not everyone cares about the Common Good, the welfare of others.  Greed, self-interest and disinterest in others seem to be predominant “values” in our culture.  Therefore, we need to strive to be more Christ-like and to regard others as more important than ourselves.  Imagine the peace, joy and love that would flourish and how wonderful that would be.