Joyful Living Devotional - Day 17
Day 17 – The Picture of Love
Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT) 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. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Like a painter on a canvas, Paul begins to paint a picture for the Philippian church of what this love looks like and what it does not. He gives them three don’ts. One, don’t be selfish. Two, don’t try to impress others. Three, don’t look out only for your own interests. Just like the Philippians, we would do well to heed Paul’s words, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Paul obviously heard about divisions in the Philippian church, and later, he will address a specific one between two individuals.
He also gives them three positive attitudes to embrace. An attitude of humility, an attitude of altruism, and the same attitude as Jesus. These are not for the faint of heart. This is where maturity is developed and the second mile is practiced, where love is self-sacrificial, not self-serving. Where me, mine, and I are replaced with us, we, and others. Where appearance and platitudes don’t supersede reality and empathy. Where high-mindedness about my own importance is replaced by acts of humility that serve others. This is a picture of real love. Love that comes at a cost of self and a high regard for others.
We all know that relationships can be the greatest joy in our lives or the greatest challenge. When it comes to relating to others, some do it well, while others struggle. How are you doing at relating to others? Some folks are indeed difficult to relate to, but that should never give us an excuse to dismiss them completely. We all need strength to relate to people. Our challenge is that we sometimes look to people to meet a need only God can meet. So we get frustrated with people and begin to point our fingers outward. We say things like, “If they could just do this or that,” “They just don’t get it,” or, “Why could they not be more...” You fill in the blanks. Here is a truth we all need to hold onto: You cannot control how others relate to you, but you can completely control how you relate to others!
The day we take full responsibility for how we relate is the day we take a step toward maturity. If you find your encouragement, comfort, and fellowship in Christ Jesus, you will have a tender, compassionate heart toward others! Paul, writing to the church in Rome, clarifies what this maturity looks like, and Eugene Peterson, in the Message Paraphrase of Romans 15, states it with perfect clarity:
“1-2Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” 3-6 That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!” (Romans 15:1-6 MSG).
Then what follows? Agreement, working together (Holy synergy), loving one another, and fulfilling God’s purpose! That’s what we would call a healthy relationship. What kind of people produce such relationships? Unselfish, secure, humble, willing to yield, and looking out for the interests of others! Not self-absorbed, me-first, what-about-me kind of people. We need to find our encouragement, strength, and fellowship in and through the Holy Spirit, and humble ourselves to have thriving, life-giving relationships.
Remember, others may hold on to their selfish way of relating, but that does not excuse you, as a Christ follower, from doing the same. Are you willing to relate God’s way?
Prayer:
Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT) 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. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Like a painter on a canvas, Paul begins to paint a picture for the Philippian church of what this love looks like and what it does not. He gives them three don’ts. One, don’t be selfish. Two, don’t try to impress others. Three, don’t look out only for your own interests. Just like the Philippians, we would do well to heed Paul’s words, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Paul obviously heard about divisions in the Philippian church, and later, he will address a specific one between two individuals.
He also gives them three positive attitudes to embrace. An attitude of humility, an attitude of altruism, and the same attitude as Jesus. These are not for the faint of heart. This is where maturity is developed and the second mile is practiced, where love is self-sacrificial, not self-serving. Where me, mine, and I are replaced with us, we, and others. Where appearance and platitudes don’t supersede reality and empathy. Where high-mindedness about my own importance is replaced by acts of humility that serve others. This is a picture of real love. Love that comes at a cost of self and a high regard for others.
We all know that relationships can be the greatest joy in our lives or the greatest challenge. When it comes to relating to others, some do it well, while others struggle. How are you doing at relating to others? Some folks are indeed difficult to relate to, but that should never give us an excuse to dismiss them completely. We all need strength to relate to people. Our challenge is that we sometimes look to people to meet a need only God can meet. So we get frustrated with people and begin to point our fingers outward. We say things like, “If they could just do this or that,” “They just don’t get it,” or, “Why could they not be more...” You fill in the blanks. Here is a truth we all need to hold onto: You cannot control how others relate to you, but you can completely control how you relate to others!
The day we take full responsibility for how we relate is the day we take a step toward maturity. If you find your encouragement, comfort, and fellowship in Christ Jesus, you will have a tender, compassionate heart toward others! Paul, writing to the church in Rome, clarifies what this maturity looks like, and Eugene Peterson, in the Message Paraphrase of Romans 15, states it with perfect clarity:
“1-2Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” 3-6 That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!” (Romans 15:1-6 MSG).
Then what follows? Agreement, working together (Holy synergy), loving one another, and fulfilling God’s purpose! That’s what we would call a healthy relationship. What kind of people produce such relationships? Unselfish, secure, humble, willing to yield, and looking out for the interests of others! Not self-absorbed, me-first, what-about-me kind of people. We need to find our encouragement, strength, and fellowship in and through the Holy Spirit, and humble ourselves to have thriving, life-giving relationships.
Remember, others may hold on to their selfish way of relating, but that does not excuse you, as a Christ follower, from doing the same. Are you willing to relate God’s way?
Prayer:
- Ask the Lord to change you before asking Him to change others.
- Pray that the Holy Spirit will show you the areas where you are expecting others to meet a need that only God can meet. Write them down for reflection, inspection, and repentance.
- Pray for a heart of tender compassion and for the strength and willingness to put others first.
- Pray for the people you find most difficult to relate to, and ask the Lord to bless them!
- Pray Paul’s prayer in Romans 15: “May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in me so that I get along with others as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!” (The Message). Thank You, Jesus, for making me part of Your body, bringing You glory as we serve You and one another in love…
Posted in Joyful Living Devotional