“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” – Philippians 2:1-4 (NLT)
As I read Paul’s call to humble service in the beginning of Philippians 2, I’m immediately reminded of something Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke: “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return.” (12:48)
As disciples of Christ, does He not offer us encouragment? In His love for us, does He not give us comfort? Does His grace and kindness soften our hearts and spur us on to be compassionate and to love one another? Yes. To all of these things, a resounding YES!
How then can we justify hoarding these blessings from Christ all to ourselves? This is ultimately Paul’s question to us. Do we have an attitude of humility and thinking of others more than ourselves? Are we eagerly sharing our love, kindness, and encouragement with other believers? How often do we put the needs of others before our own? Are we content with doing our own little bit and letting others assume the lion’s share of the load? Or do we have a sincere willingness to work together in unity and purpose for the advancement of God’s kingdom?
As Christ’s followers, we’re called to be different from the rest of the world. We’re to let go of pride and not to think of ourselves too highly. We’re part of God’s family and we all have a vested interest in one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. We have been given much, and God desires us to use what He has given to further His Kingdom and proclaim His glory. It’s what we were created to do!
So as we go about our day today, I encourage each of us to accomplish these three simple tasks before going to bed tonight:
- Say something nice to someone who you feel least deserves it.
- Take 5 minutes and ask someone how they’re doing, intentionally listening to them without thinking about how you might respond.
- Text a friend that you’ve not talked to in a while and let them know you’re thinking about them.
It costs us nothing to make someone feel more noticed and appreciated.
Former Blackout Artist 