Humility

30 Jul Humility

Read  Philippians 2:3-11
Thought for the Day: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.”

On September 26, 1983, the Soviet Air Defence Forces detected what appeared to be five nuclear missiles headed from the US to the USSR. While Soviet military protocol technically required an immediate nuclear counter-strike, that day’s commanding officer sensed something was wrong with the situation. Rather than acting first and asking questions later, Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov did further digging and realized that the apparent incoming missiles were part of a false alarm. Fortunately, Petrov was able to defuse the situation.

Remarkably, Petrov was scapegoated, demoted, and out of the military a year later. While he eventually was recognized as a global hero and the man who single-handedly prevented a war, Petrov never was quite sure: “All that happened didn’t matter to me—it was my job. I was simply doing my job, and I was the right person at the right time, that’s all.”

The man who one could argue saved civilization from nuclear war made a decision with the right attitude – humility. The Apostle Paul made it clear: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” We will likely never face an opportunity with as much on the line as Stanislav Petrov. However, each of us has the opportunity to serve others every day. Our society seems to be defined by self-focus. Let’s make the choice to care for others with humility. Whenever we act in humility, we are living truly heroic lives!

In Christ,
Pastors Stan and David