Philippians 2:5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
observation
Well there is an unpopular verse, why did Paul have to throw that one in, does the full impact of the one sentence really sink into your head?
Isn’t it enough that I try to live better than the rest of the people on this planet? I’m a Christian and most of the time I treat people okay, sometimes I do a good deed, I’m not giving the preacher a hard time and you know I am pretty good.
No, stop that way of thinking! There is a higher standard that we are to adhere to which is so totally different! As I read the Bible I always keep this in mind the entire message of the Bible is a description of a higher standard to live by.
Philippians 2:3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. 16 Hold firmly to the word of life; 17 But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God,
There must be a difference in the way that you view the world, in the way that you relate to others, in the way that you view yourself it is a totally different way of living. How can you dwell on your own interest, how can you seek to elevate yourself above anybody else, how can you stir up trouble? How is there any room for the “name it and claim it” gospel that is being sold today? Jesus didn’t even own a donkey and Joel Osteen is telling you to name your prize and claim it at the door, according to him you should be able to drive a fifty thousand dollar car you should be able to have “your best life now.” What a terrible attitude to have! Thankfully Jesus didn’t have the best live that he could have had on earth and the disciples sure missed out on a lot if this teaching were Biblical.
That is not the kind of world view that Paul or any of the disciples had, they all traveled light, they had few possessions and they endured many hardships. Can you imagine going on a mission trip for hundreds of miles via your own pair of sandals? Can you imagine being left for dead and then going back into the city that you were thrown out of? How about if you were flogged and thrown into jail to wait for your death sentence, oh and while you are waiting how about singing some praise choruses?
Christ is our ultimate example, we see that he humbled himself and gave up the glory of heaven to become the lowest of humans, showing himself to be a servant and suffering Satan’s direct attacks and dying a cruel death on the cross.
Philippians 2:6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
application
As I serve the Lord I must always remember that I am not anything special, God can use me or he can get somebody else to do the task, I must be humble and look out for others. It would be a shame to lose my perspective and have to give up my mission that God has set aside for me. I will work for him with humility.
prayer
What a difficult concept Lord, to think that I must have the same attitude that you had. Obviously I need to work on that some more. Help me to do everything with the correct attitude.
