What thoughts compel us to act? Verse five in this passage encourages us to have the mind of Christ in our approach to doing things. He didn’t do anything to show Himself but to show God’s power. Likewise, we are called first of all to a relationship with God in which it is clear that He takes the first place in our lives by putting others’ interests ahead of us. This does’t mean that we should ignore our own needs, but rather that we are willing to respond when a need arises, and do it cheerfully. The beginnings of every calling God has for us are humble. There is a tendency, however, to start showing off ourselves as God blesses us in His work, instead of continuing in faith. A good example of this is prayer. Personally, I have met people who say “We will pray and see what happens”, and among those people there were some who believed that prayer is like a magical formula which can solve anything, while others would say it so they can avoid an unpleasant discussion about a real issue. The truth is that God still works; it all comes down to having a heart like Jesus which sees the needs of those around us and letting God do the work. This way, others will acknowledge God’s power and know that there is someone who cares about them.