Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Romans 12:10
What does it mean to win? A famous American football coach once said, “Winning isn’t getting ahead of others. It’s getting ahead of yourself.”[1]
Joseph had always been competitive. Whether it was football or coming first in every subject at school, he wanted to win. And if he was honest, he wasn’t above pushing someone down to get ahead. But when Joseph met Jesus, his me-first, competitive nature was one of the first things he felt God convicting Him about. He had a sense that the way he’d always done things wasn’t how God wanted him to live anymore. When he read the Bible, it confirmed what He’d felt in his heart. “Love each other with genuine affection,” it said, “and take delight in honoring each other” (Romans 12:10). Many versions of scripture say that we should outdo each other in showing honor.
This concept of trying to outdo each other in honoring and loving one another aligns perfectly with what the Bible says about a love that overflows and abounds more daily (Philippians 1:9-11). Instead of pushing ourselves forward through competitive, insecure backstabbing, love like this is in action when we put others before ourselves. This is a competition with a totally different goal: to show God’s love most extravagantly and freely because it’s been freely given to us.
In God, there is enough for everyone. We don’t need to fight for a place. Instead, we only outdo each other in honoring one another! It’s just one of the reasons people sometimes refer to God’s kingdom as the upside-down kingdom, turning the world’s understanding of a win on its head!
[1] Kerr-Dineen, Luke. “The 48 Greatest Quotes about Winning-Roger Staubach” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 4 Aug. 2022, ftw.usatoday.com/2018/02/best-sports-quotes-about-winning.
