Philippians 2:1-5
2:1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy,
2:2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.
2:4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
When Paul was writing this letter to the Philipians he must have really been trying to encourage them to change a lot about themselves. While Paul was writing to a church to thank them for being so faithful and generous, in so many ways he is asking them to go against so much of their own human nature. We just have to look at the two human traits that are so prevalent in so many people, selfish ambition and conceit, to know that there were some problems within the church at Philippi. It is natural for us to want more, to do better than others, to be honored in our daily lives. It is so natural that Satan will surely use those things against us and keep us from being the people that Paul is encouraging us to be. We get caught up in our own lives, thinking about our own needs and forget about just what Jesus taught us to do and who He taught us to be.
So you ask how can we be those people. How can we put aside our own feelings and desires and serve God. Well, Paul gave us the answer and it is in this next scripture below.
2:5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus
If we study scripture, read the teachings of Jesus, pray and meditate, allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate our thoughts and profess our faith to others we will move closer and closer to to being in the same mind that was in Jesus Christ. Our God graced us with Jesus Christ so that we would have a different model to follow than the one our flesh would follow.
Jesus said He was the way, the truth and the life! Study, Believe and Live,
Have a blessed day in Jesus Christ,
Randy
Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX 