Phillippians chapter 2 focuses on the church in Phillipi and how they should treat each other (as most of Paul's letters were about). This specific chapter focused on humility It focused on imitating Christ's Humility. Now I know the phrase that the person who says that they are humble usually isn't But, I honestly thought I had the humility part down. I mean, as a man, as a young man,, as a young black man, I have my family, my community telling me to take pride in who I am. As a former choir director, I would have constant people coming up to me telling me how good of a job I have and etc. And anytime something like that would happen, I would always say that it's not me, it's alll the Lord. I would consistently iterate that I am nothing but God's willing vessel. With that mindset, I was golden. I felt good. I felt like I wasn't taking too much or basically any credit.
But then, during the bible study. I was hit...
In Phillippians 2:3, Paul says: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves." Wow...regard others as better that yourselves.
That got me thinking, how often am I lifting up other people. I find myself too often worrying about getting my own, at times puffing my esteem, my ego up at the expense of others and here the Bible is telling me to view people as being better than me. That's what real humility is. When you look around your house, your church, your workplace, your school and you see the talents and abilities that other people have. Or you see how other people may not have had the same opportunities you had or else they might even be better than you! When you look at life, when you look at your brother when you look at your sister that way. It changes how to treat people, how you value people, how you looove people.
Paul continues with the next verse by saying "Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others." We all have our own ambitions. We all have our own aspirations. Which is fine. But we need to look at how our dreams, how our ambitions work with the Kingdom. When it all comes down to it, we need to help each other. Love your neighbor as yourself right! I'm not saying throw away your entire career, but I am asking you why is that your career? If you are doing EVERYTHING to the Glory of God, then when it all comes down it, you are looking into the interests of others.
Am I really doing that? All this focus on me...me...me. How am I really furthering the Kingdom when I'm worried about myself?
And thennn Paul really hit the nail on the coffin when he brought Jesus into this. I mean, look at Jesus, he was/is God. He legitimately humbled himself as a human, felt all the pain and the suffering that we do and then some. And why did he do it? To advance the kingdom. "Not my will but thy will be done." Completely humbling.
If you keep on reading the chapter, Paul talks about Jesus and how he "...emptied himself, taking the form of a slave...and became obedient to the point of death." Whoa. And when I read that, I immediately thought of the song Empty Me. Empty Me was one of the last songs I directed for the United Voices of Praise (Messiah College Gospel Choir). And the chorus goes:
Empty Me;
Empty Me, yea.
Fill, won't You fill me.
With You.
And I desperately want that. I want more. I want more. I want more of you Jesus. Teach me how to put the interests of others before me. Teach me how to look at your creation as better than myself. I need it. I'm making this my prayer.
The final thing I'm going to say is that, there's another song that instantly popped up in my head. It's from my newly-found favorite contemporary artist Matthew West. For anyone that's reading this blog, I want you to consider this song. Listen to it, and try to decipher how it makes you feel. I know how it makes me feel...
Love God.Love People
--MJA
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