Attitude Adjustment!
When kids grow up they spend a lot of time imitating their teen idols. Whether it is a movie star, rock star, or athletic star. Of course there is nothing wrong with having someone to look up to, ultimately they are all human beings who are fallible and fragile.
But Paul has someone else he is trying to imitate, The Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is teaching this young Christian community to treat each other as a reflection of Jesus. At the heart of it is considering others as better than ourselves, and looking to serve their interests before ours. Well how can we possibly do that? Paul tells us to not only imitate Jesus, but have the same mindset as Jesus as we look at Jesus attitude we can see three things.
1. He did not consider equality as God as something to be grasped. If anyone had a right to think something was beneath them it was the Son of God. But Jesus did not use his position for his own personal gratification.
2. He emptied himself and became a servant. Yes the Son of God did not only not hold on to his deity, but he became a servant. A servant gave up all their rights to serve their master to serve others.
3. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient even to death on the cross. Jesus not only have up His rights as God, but He also gave up His life. And because Jesus was God, we can say God died for us.
So as Paul reasons with the Philippians on how the should treat each other he urges them to imitate Jesus. One day he
Says that every knee will now down and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. But for now what can we do if He is our Lord? We can imitate him. We cannot consider ourselves as better than anyone, but serve them according to their needs. Unless we think of ourselves as better than God, nothing should be beneath. And as we serve others we remember it is Jesus we are serving. And one day when everyone realizes who He is, He will say to us,"Well done good and faithful servant. Come receive your reward which has been laid up for you in heaven."
Imitating Christ’s Humility
2 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:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
But Paul has someone else he is trying to imitate, The Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is teaching this young Christian community to treat each other as a reflection of Jesus. At the heart of it is considering others as better than ourselves, and looking to serve their interests before ours. Well how can we possibly do that? Paul tells us to not only imitate Jesus, but have the same mindset as Jesus as we look at Jesus attitude we can see three things.
1. He did not consider equality as God as something to be grasped. If anyone had a right to think something was beneath them it was the Son of God. But Jesus did not use his position for his own personal gratification.
2. He emptied himself and became a servant. Yes the Son of God did not only not hold on to his deity, but he became a servant. A servant gave up all their rights to serve their master to serve others.
3. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient even to death on the cross. Jesus not only have up His rights as God, but He also gave up His life. And because Jesus was God, we can say God died for us.
So as Paul reasons with the Philippians on how the should treat each other he urges them to imitate Jesus. One day he
Says that every knee will now down and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. But for now what can we do if He is our Lord? We can imitate him. We cannot consider ourselves as better than anyone, but serve them according to their needs. Unless we think of ourselves as better than God, nothing should be beneath. And as we serve others we remember it is Jesus we are serving. And one day when everyone realizes who He is, He will say to us,"Well done good and faithful servant. Come receive your reward which has been laid up for you in heaven."
Imitating Christ’s Humility
2 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:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
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