Philippians 2:1-5
Thoughts from Amanda Cook
Dive Deeper
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”
Philippians 2:1-5
Behind the Scenes
Last week in our Masterclass Series, Pastor Brian taught us that as the Church, we are to be unified, of one mind, working to glorify Jesus as one. However, instead of that, we often mirror the world and wage war with one another within the Church.
In our passage today, Paul exhorts us to “do nothing from selfish ambition”, “count others as more significant than ourselves”, and “look to the interests of others.” That is so counter-cultural in our time (and apparently in ancient times as well). Our natural, sinful bent is to look after number one.
Make it Real
However, during times of tragedy or disaster, many heroes emerge. Heroes that count others as more significant than themselves. Heroes who look out for the interests of others. I’m reminded of Rick Rescorla who is credited with saving more than 2,700 lives after an airplane struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It is said that to keep people calm as he helped them evacuate, he sang to them. But he didn’t stop at the 2,700 lives, he kept fighting to save more. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it out alive. He sacrificed himself to save others.
I’m also reminded of the 4 men on flight 93, Tom Burnett, Mark Bingham, Jeremy Glick, and Todd Beamer, who knew the fate of their flight from phone calls home and decided to take the plane and crash it in an unpopulated area. They sacrificed themselves to save others.
We’re not all destined to be heroes. But imagine if we could model those examples in our everyday lives. Imagine that instead of wrestling with terrorists and sacrificing our lives, we simply stepped aside and let someone go in front of us in line at the store. What if instead of running back into a burning building to save thousands of lives, we just bit our tongue and held back that snarky comeback? What if instead of taking offense at someone’s comment, we simply assumed the best of them and brushed off the comment?
I think those small actions, would do so much to build the unity of the Church. You see this is important because, as Pastor Brian taught, our unity is directly correlated to our impact on the world. We don’t have to be famous heroes to impact the world for the glory of God, we simply need to “count others as more significant than ourselves.”
Colleen McGeorge
ACF Devo Team
End in Prayer
Heavenly Father, I need help. It’s not natural in my sin nature to think of others first, to put their needs before my own. But Lord, that is what You call us to do. You call us to put aside our selfish ambitions and look to others. Show us what that looks like and how we can do that in our everyday lives. Help us to live our lives in unity, glorifying You in all we do. In Jesus’ name – AMEN!