Saturday, August 29, 2015

Philipians 2:3-8

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Paul is exhorting the church at Philippi to love one another through humility.  We are to abandon our own selfishness, which is still within our fallen bodies, and submit to the will of others out of love for the body of Christ.  The warning to not follow our own selfish ambition and avoid conceit is seen often in scripture, Paul warns the Galatians in 5:26, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”  Likewise, we see the exhortation to humility elsewhere in scripture, particularly in Paul's letters to the churches. Romans 12:10 “Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor.” Or in Ephesians 5:21, “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”  Here again, we see the reason for our submission, out of reverence for Christ.  I am supposed to love my brothers and sisters in Christ in the same way that He first loved us, because it is my hearts desire to do so, not just because it was commanded.  I think the world would see this as a burden, something that I am being forced to do against my will, and indeed I am a bond-servant to Christ in that my life was purchased out of death by His blood, but like a bond-servant chooses to be a slave even after his indenture is complete, I gladly and wholeheartedly submit to the will of God out of love for the Master who saved me.  So how will I practically apply this wonderful truth to my life?  Through prayer and meditation on the Word of God, that is the only way I can adjust my heart to willingly submit to God's will and abandon my selfishness and conceit.  So this week I will meditate on and memorize Proverbs 15:33, “The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”

~Jeremy

Philippians 2:3 reads, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourself.” Lending a hand to others feels good. How many of us have volunteered to do a service project or help out someone in our church and left feeling slightly powerful from how nice it feels to be thanked or felt appreciated? I find that often when I feel like I made a difference, when God was able to use me, that I leave with feelings of pride and self-satisfaction. Galatians 5:25-26 says to not become boastful, but instead to live by the Spirit and to walk by the Spirit. I can not counter this issue of pride all on my own, but instead with the power of Christ through his Spirit, by walking in the ways of Christ. Christ is the true and perfect example of humility. Philippians seems to say that in order to have a humble mind to regard one another as more important as myself. The solution to my problem of pride is not to stop helping others or trying to lend a hand to others in need, but instead change my mind, making it a humble mind. When I have prideful feelings after being able to help I need to see the person I was able to help as more important as myself. If I am reminded that God does not need me, but instead chose to use me, I can then start to realize that the person I am lending a hand to does not need me, but instead God chose to cross our paths and give me the ability to reach out. The sentence in On Being a Servant of God that I have become well aquainted with does not read, Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God and the glory of self. God wants to use the humble as His loving channels, not selfish channels. My application to this verse is to imagine others as more important than myself, and remember that as I serve, God is only choosing to use me, not needing to use me.

~Kristin

Philippians 2:4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Counting others more significant than yourself is a matter of the heart, an inward change that needs to happen in response to the Lord's great loving sacrifice for us.  From Mark 12:30-31 “...and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” and “...you shall love your neighbor as yourself...”  These are the two greatest commandments, and they represent what should be in the heart of all who believe.  Looking out for the interests of others, however, is a change in practice, as a response to counting others more significant than yourself.  Paul tells the Roman church (Romans 15:2) “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”  This is a command to look out for the good of your neighbor for his exhortation.  Again in (1 Cor 10:24) “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.”  It's this change in practice that proclaims to the world that there has been a change in our hearts; the love of Christ caused this change and the love of Christ is seen through it.  Therefore it is simply not enough for me to feel love for others, but I must also show love by looking out for the interests of others.  How can I accomplish this on a daily basis?  This week I will actively look for opportunities to look out for the best interests of my team over myself, so feel free to ask me how I served someone else today.

~Jeremy


Philippians 2:4 reads, “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” This verse gives me the mental picture of a team, a team that has to look out for others in order to keep the whole team motivated for practice, pushing themselves to the fullest, and being willing to let someone else have the winning point. At times a team member will have to sacrifice their interests in order to serve another on their team and eventually the betterment of the team as a whole. Colossians 3:13 has a great phrase when describing unity. It says to “bear with one another,” while forgiving one another. Often when you look out for the interests of others you are left bearing something with them, be it a trial they are going through or something you are having to warn them of. Either way, often ‘looking out for others’ means giving more than advice, or being a metaphorical lighthouse or traffic cone; it means more than just looking or pointing out. Looking out for the interest of others means we bear their burdens and weaknesses (Romans 15:1). 1 Thessalonians 5:14 paints a picture of what it may look like to look out for the interests of others. It says, “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” Looking out for others will require patience of me. I will need to be patient with myself when I am my natural self-centered state, failing to live out this verse and especially patience when helping someone and bearing their burdens. Helping does not always involve advice or physically help, but also encouragement and motivation. Just like a team does not only survive solely off of practice and advice, but also support and motivation. 1 Thessalonians also says to admonish the unruly. Often, looking out for the good of others involves warning or rebuking them, drawing them closer to God, who cares about them more than I could ever. Humility is the key when putting others above yourself and it is an ongoing challenge for me. My needs are always my first thought and first care, yet God calls me to care for the interests of others and love my neighbor more that myself. I am going to put the acronym JOY on my door as a reminder that Jesus comes first, then others, them yourself, hopefully this will be a reminder to put the needs of others first.

~Kristin

Philippians 2:5-6  “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,”

Paul exhorts us to have one mind among the body of believers, which is ours in Christ.  This is a mind towards humility, both towards other believers and also in the world.  Our model for this behavior is Jesus who, though sitting at the right hand of the Father and in all things equal with God, humbled Himself into a human existence to do the will of the Father.  Jesus himself proclaimed this to be the case, and in return, (John 5:18) “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”  (John 14:28) “You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”  So if Jesus, the Christ, the incarnate Lord of all creation, would humble himself so greatly, how much more willing should we, a bunch of sinners saved by grace, be to humble ourselves to the will of the Father?  I think as the day draws near when I will find out where I am going to spend the next six months, I have a wonderful opportunity to practically apply this message of submission to the will of God.  I will pray for a spirit of obedience and humility, to be joyful in whatever calling the Lord has for my life.

~Jeremy

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus who although existed in the form of God did regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. Jesus was the epitome of humility, there has been no one of earth who has succumbed to the humility that Christ lived every day on earth. Christ came from the most highly of position to the most lowly of position. Philippians 2:7 says he “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” Colossians 1:19 says that all of God’s fullness dwelled in him, and John 5:18 says that Christ was calling God his own Father, making Himself equal with God. Christ was fully God, yet he came to earth born in a stable to a carpenter, and end the end went to the cross, a guiltless man, for the sins of the world, the world in which many hated and despised him. There are too many examples of Christ’s humility to count because every breath of his was of humility and meekness. An example that always stands out to me is when he washes the feet of the disciples in John 13. Jesus kneels down to the lowest spot of those who follow him, to the dirtiest part of the bodies and actually cleans their dirty feet with part of his garment, making himself dirty while their feet are left spotless. Jesus came to this earth to serve others not to be served. Despite being fully God, Jesus says in John 15:28 “the Father is greater than I.” He does not even regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, saying that the father has a different position than him. When Jesus tells the disciples to follow him in Luke 9, he even says “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." How many times do I pridefully take on positions, or hold myself above others when the King of Kings was the most humble of all. My application of this verse is to picture John 13 and Jesus kneeling to wash the disciples’ feet when deciding if I am being humble or prideful in situations, to use Christ as my example and gauge of true humility.

~Kristin

Philippians 2:7  “but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

Just as we were created in the image of God, when the incarnate Lord came to earth He was born in the likeness of men.  He could have come in radiant glory, righting the wrongs of society and casting down the evil of humanity with His perfect justice, but lucky for us His glory was veiled and the judgment due to us was withheld in exchange for mercy (Matt 12:7).  He could have been born in a palace, for indeed He was not only the king of Israel, but the king of the world.  Instead He was born in a stable and laid in a manger, where lowly shepherds worshiped Him rather than the local aristocracy (Luke 2:7).  When God came to earth in the likeness of men he indeed emptied Himself of all that would, at first glance, appear to be Godly.  But all would soon see that this man was so much more than a mere carpenter's son, for He lived His life as a servant of the will of the Most High and exchanged His glory for meekness, His majesty for humility, and His wrath for gentleness.  In doing so He conquered the hardness of my heart, along with many others.  Without a great army He conquered death itself.  This is my example in life.  Not to live under the law of death but rather the law of life, which is to love God and love my fellow man (Mark 12:30-31).  Not to work towards my own exaltation, but to humble myself to service in building the Kingdom of God.  As a practical application, I will make it a point to go to the Lord in prayer on my knees, as a reminder of the humility I should have before Him.

~Jeremy


But emptied Himself taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. The very familiar phrase, a bond- servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle set apart for the gospel of God. Paul begins his letter’s this way, there is no mistaking it, and when reading on the life of Paul there is no denying that Paul did live like a bond-servant to Christ. Even the demon possessed girl in Acts 16 calls Paul a bond-servant of the Most High God. The idea of the bond-servant has always stood out to me as a celebrity for Christ, being a part of Christ’s posse, as cheesy as it sounds. Living a life that honors Christ, living with Christ as the gauge for humility and love, living radically for Christ are all things I picture when I imagine Paul and other true bond-servants for Christ. Living with one purpose, as if actually bound in servant hood with nothing but devotion. The part of the picture that is a challenge to piece together is the fact that as a bond-servant of Christ, we do receive wages. As children of Christ we have a powerful and gracious father, and we have treasures stored up for us in heaven. Christ emptied himself, become a bond-servant so that those who serve him and his Father can enjoy all the glory of God one day. When I look at my life I don’t see a bond-servant. More often than not, fear, doubt, pride, and selfishness are instead what I am bound to. This verse spoke to me and reminded me of all the ways I still do not die to self, all the things that hold me back from a life that is of a bond-servant. My application of this verse is to try and be more aware of what hold me back each day in servant hood, looking at these things that bind me and then comparing the sacrifice to that of Christ as he poured himself out as a bond-servant for me.

~Kristin

Philippians 2:8  “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Here we finally see the result of the humility of Jesus, His purpose for His incarnation here on earth.  Death, sacrificed as a lamb for the payment of my sin.  His sacrifice, though willing, grieved Him greatly, as we see in (Matt 26:39) “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”  It was profound humility that is shown through profound obedience to the will of the Father, Jesus says, (John 10:17-18) “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.  This charge I have received from my Father.”  It was through His death, and then His resurrection, that we receive salvation.(Rom 5:19) “For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.”  This is our righteous example of obedience in life, Christ on the cross, and because He rose again we can follow his example of obedience, even to the point of death.

~Jeremy

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. While working through my IBS, I discovered that team Guatemala would in actuality not be teaching for a few months out of the six. For many, this may have come as good news, but none the least normal to most. For me, that moment was such a letdown that It sent me into a break down. How possibly could I go more than half of a year without even stepping into the classroom? In my break down I felt as if I was wrestling with God. I thought I had given teaching to the Lord saying, you have my all and that includes my passions, I serve You, not the flesh, but as I prayed and wrestled I came to realize how this was actually not true at all. It was not a simple prayer of releasing my wants to God either, I had to realize how tightly I held onto the hope of teaching soon. God had to show me how wrong it was to care this much. Dead men have no rights, and I certainly felt like I had a right. Christ was obedient to the point of death. I am reminded in Matthew 26:39 how this obedience did not come easy to Jesus, he still had the body of man and still suffered the fullness of his crucifixion. Matthew 26:39 reads, “And He went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed saying, “My father if it is possible let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will but as You will.” I still am not able to completely let go of teaching, I know God forgives me but I still need to be able to say, “not as I will but as You will.” Obedience in this matter is not really hard, we are of course going to continue through the program, but the issue of obedience in my heart. Do I chose to make an argument in my head saying it’s okay I’ll eventually get to teach, or it won’t seem like that long, or do I choose to pick up my cross and follow Him? I need to continue to pray for constant releasing of rights, that I would not just have a good attitude and use logic around the situation I don’t find ideal, but that I would just release all that I am holding too tightly to.

~Kristin

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