Outpouring, Philippians 1:1-4

I've had a concept recently that I've been thinking through, and it has struck me as somewhat profound, though often overlooked in its simplicity. 
It's the difference between outgoing and outpouring. By nature, I'm not a very outgoing person; if I had my way I would sit and read most of the time. But as a christian, I'm commanded to pour my life out into the lives of others in every way I can, and you are as well. Pastor Capon preached from Philippians 2:1-4 in Sunday School this morning, and vv. 3-4 really struck me. 
"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."
Wow, there is so much to digest there, but let me show you a couple of things he showed us, and tie it in with my previous thoughts. 
Every sin is a direct result to my lack of walk with God. It is a looking in the wrong direction. When I'm focused on how close to the line I can get, wherever I or God may draw that line, not only is that dangerous, but it is also focused in the wrong direction. I'm focused backward, toward my sin, my line, and how closely I can step to it without going over it. But when I'm walking with God, wanting his will for every detail of my life, it really doesn't matter where the line is drawn because it's behind me; I'm not stepping toward it. I'm stepping toward nearness with my Father, walking toward ever increasing sanctification, and so it doesn't matter where that line behind me is. 
On a more personal level, I think that every (or at least almost every) sin can be traced back to pride. It may take different forms, but every sin is a result of looking in the wrong direction, and that direction is inward. Sanctification can be defined as applying the truth of God's word to the details of life, and when I apply this verse, I can do nothing but change toward looking outward---"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or deceit." Pride. 
That's not to say we don't take care of ourselves. "Look out not only for his own interests, but also the interests of others." That means that our primary focus should be outward and upward, but we need to not neglect our own interests. Our culture tends to take this way too far, and so sometimes we swing the pendulum back too far the other way and don't take enough care of ourselves. We need to take care of ourselves physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. For me, this means trying to have a healthy attitude toward eating and exercise, keeping my body physically fit; reading as much as I can of good, solid books to keep my mind sharp; spending my time with others, caring about their lives to be of use socially; and being in God's word and in prayer to upkeep my health spiritually. And yes, each of those could be expanded into a book, and they probably have been, and that's not the purpose of this post, but it is important to examine oneself and seek balance in each of those areas. 
So back to the purpose: outpouring oneself. What is the purpose of doing so? How is the question why answered? That's answered in vv. 1-2. "If (or more accurately, since) there is any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, any affection and mercy...." Which means that there is indeed such things, and because of them we ought to do nothing because of pride. Because God has given us the blessings of loving comfort, fellowship with believers, affection, and, oh how much!, ---mercy. Abundant, abounding, flowing mercy. Because of those things, how can we be focused on ourselves? 
And also, in vs. 2, "fulfill my joy..." By not living in unity, by being selfish and conceited, the believers in Philippi were robbing Paul of joy. Not to say they had brought him no joy at all; one can hardly read his letter to them without getting a sense of his affection for them, but there was one more thing they needed to work on to bring his joy to completion, and that was choosing to live in the absence of pride. May we ever do the same. 


In fact, that's the purpose of our having the NT; to point us to Christ. And how does that work itself out into our lives? By showing us how to be like him, and in this case, our core need to choose to live in the absence of pride, as nearly like Christ as we can on this earth.