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 1:3-4 (NLT)
Today during my time in the word I came across Philippians 1:3-4 and I just couldn't shake what was coming up in relation to this word. How much better off would not only the church but this nation be if we all truly strived to live this out daily? If you really stop and think on these instructions that Paul was giving to the Church at Philippi; can you honestly say that you hit this mark every single day? I can't, and in a society that praises and worships wealth, sex, and only looking out for yourself, it's no wonder we lose sight of thinking of others.
You see it's all about seeing these types of things in scripture and reminding ourselves that it really is up to us to make a difference. How you ask? Well, by spending time daily in prayer, in God's word and asking that He make you sensitive to others and you can make a difference in their life. If this is truly what you want to do then God will reveal things to you. Most of us are too caught up in making more money, finding a spouse, or trying to keep up with our neighbors that we lose sight of what it means to be a Christian. To be truly "Christ-Like".
No one is perfect and we all fall short, but we must strive to live out what we know to be truth and that truth is only found in God's word. We must actively pursue God and if we are doing that then our relationships with others will be dramatically changed. That person that used to annoy the heck out of you will no longer affect you that way, instead you will begin to see him/her through the eyes of God, with compassion and sympathy. Or that TV show you once loved will begin to just be too much to handle and you'll realize this garbage is not worth my time any longer.
What I mean is God's Word will CHANGE you, if you allow it to and when it does then and only then can we truly live out Philippians 1:3-4. We can't do it on our own and all the "happy thoughts" and "good vibes" will not get you there, ONLY God's life-chaning word can do those types of miracles.
Take Care & God Bless,
-E
I've had the privilege to really sit and visit with some other brothers-in-Christ lately and was reminded of something that I had forgotten. You see as of lately I've been pretty hard on myself about where I am in my walk with the Lord, I'm not studying enough, not praying enough, not serving enough, etc. The list could literally go on and on. Yet the resounding thing I am reminded in talking and sharing with others is that this thing we call a relationship with Jesus is a process.
I had to take a long hard look at where I'm at now and remember where I was just five years ago and once I did that it was as through I was looking at someone else's life and not my own. God has done an amazing work in my life and by no means what it anything that I did. He opened my eyes, He changed my heart and He gets all the credit for it. All I did was simply do the possible and He did the impossible.
The Apostle Paul reminds us throughout the New Testament that this is a race or a fight (see 1 Timothy 4:7, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Ephesians 6:12) and in a race or fight you don't get to the finish line or final round immediately. You'll have pains, ups and downs, struggles, muscle cramps, bumps and bruises and other various things that come up within the process. The key is that we recognize that we are in a process and keep moving forward and not to give up.
While in the process we can sometimes get so banged up that we don't know which way is up but there is an instruction manual (God's Word) that serves as an anchor for us. I've been guilty of setting aside this manual and trying to fight without it and believe me it's impossible to try to make it without it. I thought I could make it through without checking the manual and every time I did so, I'd find myself in a place I didn't want to be.
So just be aware that this is an ongoing process and you may not be where you want to be but thank God you're not where you used to be.
Take Care & God Bless,
-E
