Before He died, Alex Haley, the author of Roots, kept in his office a picture of a turtle on a fence post. He said he kept it so that if he ever felt proud of his achievements, the turtle on the fence would remind him he did not get where he was by himself—he had help. Paul made a similar point writing to the Philippians. He said in chapter 2, “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. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Jesus taught us that when we show compassion to the least of these, we exemplify true humility. In doing so, we gain God’s approval.
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