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What might the world have to say in response to the humility described in today's reading? Several recent book titles give us the general idea: Promoting Yourself: 52 Lessons for Getting to the Top . . . and Staying There; Promoting Yourself: 50 Ways to Increase Your Prestige, Power, and Paycheck; 101 Ways to Promote Yourself: Tricks of the Trade for Taking Charge of Your Own Success; Selling Yourself: Be the Competent, Confident Person You Really Are! In other words, the answer to the question is “me, me, me” and more “me”! The world revolves around self. Self must go out and get the best possible life for self that self can get.
Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, taught otherwise. The “if” that begins these verses is not a conditional or “maybe” statement, but rather an assumption about what is true. What is true is that we have multiple benefits from our salvation in and union with Christ, including encouragement, comfort, fellowship, tenderness, and compassion. Two main behaviors should flow from these benefits: unity and humility. “Unity” is described as being like-minded, being in one accord in spirit and purpose, and living in harmony with one another. “Humility” means considering others better than oneself and not acting out of pride or selfish ambition. What does this mean? We should treat people as created in the image of God, and we should love them as He does. Looking for others' benefit in this way is antithetical to the “looking out for #1” motto of the world.
The foundation for all of this is Christ.
Because of our spiritual union with Him,
because of His love for us, and because
He sent His Holy Spirit, we are able to
aspire to unity and humility. As we saw
yesterday, humility requires a rest-filled
faith in God, that is, a confidence in who
we are in Christ. Just as confidence in His
Father's love and power freed Jesus to do
a servant's action, being encouraged and
comforted in Him frees us to act humbly.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Please read Philippians 2:3-4 one more time. When is the last specific time you can remember obeying this command? If you're not sure, or if the time you think of is embarrassingly far back, choose a specific person and action and carry out these verses before the week is done. We're asking you to choose not in order to eliminate spontaneity, but because we assume you probably already know of a specific situation in which you can put another person first and please the Lord through your obedience.
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