"Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." 1st Corinthians 10:24

Dudes + Chicks can often = fights.  Why is that?  Well, if you're being honest with yourself, it is mainly due to the FACT that more often than not, you (not someone else, but you) are seeking your own good, not the good of the other person in the relationship.  Whether that is a wife, a girlfriend, a best friend, an acquaintance or even a stranger you just met, fights almost always arise from the ashes of a burning fire of selfishness and pride.

Guys often take the most heat when it comes to the topic of pride, but the ladies are in no way free from guilt in this matter.  Pride is the ultimate humility killer.  If you're married, pride will creep into your mind before you can recognize it and say "She OWES you this, don't let it slip away from you just because you've been on the couch all night."  That subtle, yet convincing voice can easily override the voice of humility if you are not consistently on your face seeking the favor of the Lord through prayer and supplication.  For the ladies out there, pride can slip you this lie in the form of a justified excuse as easy as getting out of bed in the morning.  It sounds like..."He doesn't stay home and take care of the kids all day like you do, you don't have to listen to him talk about how tough his day was...just nod and smile and go back to what you were doing before he got home, he's not interested in your day so why should you be interested in his?"

Don't act like you haven't been there before, because you have.

Single people out there, this is for you too so don't get too comfortable.  If you are dating, you're either in it for self gratification or your'e in it because you have the best interest of the other person in mind.  There is no gray area, no matter how hard you try and justify things to yourself.  Dating is an extremely tricky thing.  Some people date because they are insecure in themselves and feel that true meaning in life will only be found in the approval of a spouse.  Some date because they simply want to be loved, and they don't care about anything other than being fulfilled by the love and need of the other person.  In both cases, humility is absent, while pride, selfishness and idolatry are very much present.  Friendships are also plagued by selfishness, often seeing one or both people seeking only their own betterment or satisfaction, while putting on what would appear to be a clever disguise of servanthood.

Brothers, sisters, friends, let us be humble before the Lord and truly seek the good of others before the good of ourselves!  There can be no humility in human relationships unless there is first humility before Christ.  Do we really think we are so clever as to be able to slip beneath the omniscience of God?  Let it not be so!  May we each seek to love Jesus first, and in turn see that love overflow into a humility that genuinely desires the good of other people above and beyond our own good!  Instead of thinking about the next move to improve your own position in a relationship, think of how you could better serve your friend, girlfriend or boyfriend, or spouse.  Be creative in thinking of ways to better the other person, and not with the ulterior motive of having them heap praise upon you as a result, but with the ultimate motive of seeing Jesus be glorified through the honoring of the other person in whatever relationship you are in.  If God's glory is not the ultimate goal, humility is merely a facade hiding a secrete heart of pride.  So, let us see the good of our neighbor, for the glory of Christ!