The Holy Spirit will check our spirit when our motives are to please ourselves, in order to look good in others eyes. Men pleasers have a ‘me-first’ demeanor and attitude. When I was in first grade, we had a coloring book called “Me-First” as an endeavor to teach us to share.

Philippians 2:3 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” Galatians 5:26 says, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

2 Timothy 2:24 says, “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient.” Paul addressed himself and Timothy as bondservants of Jesus Christ in Philippians 1:1 . In Titus he used the title bondservant and an apostle.

Paul knew from the beginning of his conversion that he would suffer for the sake of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-33 he described what that looked like. 2 Corinthians 4:8 says, “We were hard-pressed on every side…perplexed…persecuted…struck down…” Let us labor for our Master with joy.