New Covenant Fellowship
09 October 2026
Philippians 1:18 (ESV, excerpt)
What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
It can be uncomfortable to see someone else receive the thanks, the opportunity, or the attention we had hoped for. Even work done for a good purpose can become tangled with our desire to be noticed.
Paul knew something more painful than being overlooked. While he was imprisoned, some people preached Christ out of rivalry, hoping to trouble him. Others served from love. He recognised the difference; he did not call every motive good.
Yet he found a reason to rejoice: Christ was being proclaimed. His own reputation was not the centre around which the gospel had to turn.
This is not permission to excuse harmful behaviour or accept a distorted message. Paul’s joy concerned the proclamation of Christ. He could identify wrong motives while refusing to let personal rivalry swallow his joy.
That challenges a quieter rivalry in us. Can we be glad when another person serves faithfully, even if our own contribution receives little attention? Can their good work become a reason for gratitude instead of a measure of our worth?
Today, bring to mind someone whose service you have been comparing with your own. Thank God for one good thing their work offers others. If appropriate, send a simple word of encouragement, without turning the conversation back to yourself.
Prayer: Lord, free me from needing to be the centre. Give me joy when Christ is honoured and others are helped.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
