Philippians 2:1-5
“1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:”
The passage from verses 5 to 11 is in the form of a hymn, often referred to as the "Christ Hymn." It speaks of how Jesus, though equal with God, humbled Himself by taking on human form and submitting to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God exalted Him and made Him Lord of all. This hymn reveals how Jesus attained glory and is one of the most prominent New Testament hymns exalting Christ.
Paul mentions this hymn in today's text to emphasize his earlier exhortation to consider others better than ourselves and to live humbly, elevating others. Just as Jesus, though equal with God, was glorified through His humility, we too must live lives of humility, lifting others up as we follow Christ.
In Philippians 4:2, Paul urges Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. The church is a gathering of diverse people, and it's natural for differences in background and decision-making processes to exist. However, Paul stresses that if the church is a community following Jesus, they must be of one mind. If we have experienced the marvelous grace of the Lord and exalt Him as our Savior, then following Christ's example of humility and lowliness should be a significant practice in our lives.
It’s easy to maintain a distance and interact with others in the church out of a sense of respect for individual boundaries, but doing so makes it impossible to truly know one another. Instead of speaking about ourselves, we should listen to the life stories of others. Listening and respecting each other is what it means to follow Jesus.
I hope that during this fall retreat, we can take time to listen to one another’s stories, respect each other, and understand each other more deeply. May we become a church that, in humility, grows to resemble Jesus and lifts each other up.
Prayer: We pray to become more like You, Lord, and to reflect Your grace and mission in our lives within the church and among our neighbors. We ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to live not in vanity or conflict, but in humility, esteeming others above ourselves and caring for them. Amen.
(Note: This summary was created based on an AI draft.)
Devotional content is available on the Our Daily Bread website.