"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus..."
Sometimes it's so hard to be loving. It's easy to love those who we think 'deserve' it. It's infinitely harder to love those who don't. My ability to love others doesn't come from ourselves or from the other person, though, it comes only from God. This makes all the difference when trying to figure out how to respond to others in a way that reflects Christ. How did He love others? It certainly wasn't on the basis of anything that they had done. In that case, we'd all be in trouble.
I remember when I started studying Philippians in Every Woman's Grace (Bible study), Jake made a comment about how amazing chapter 2 was. I had just read it, but it hadn't sunk in. Jake's love of that passage stuck in my mind constantly for weeks, and I kept reading it. Now, I can't get it out of my head! IT FLOORS ME! Whenever I am having trouble loving others (this often manifests itself in a lack of patience with my rambunctious son), I think of the example of Jesus in Philippians 2. God himself humbled himself quite dramatically~ He became human. A humble, patient, loving, truth speaking servant to mankind. Am I to do any less?
So, I'm writing this here so that I will remember on the hard days: I am not here for myself. I am here to serve God first, and others second. There's no place for serving myself. The hard days only get harder when I selfishly allow my priorities to be me-centered. My response to other people and situations should not be based on anything within myself, but on the Word of God. I need this reminder constantly. I need to humble myself as Christ did, love others as Christ did, and serve them accordingly. So, note to self: Be patient with Jude. God was and is infinitely patient with you, and set a stellar example for you to follow. Go read Philippians 2.
2 comments:
So encouraging, Marie. Thanks for sharing. And thanks to Jake for posting it on Facebook.
What's awesome, as we look to Jesus' example, is that even His humility was motivated first by a love to His Father and a supreme delight in "doing the will of Him who sent Me" (John 4:34).
How do you love the unlovable? Well, you can trick yourself in to making them appear lovable, biting hard until you're convinced cuz you know you're supposed to. Or you can do what Jesus did, and look to the Father, who is infinitely and objectively lovable, and be motivated to benefit others by the delight to be had in Him.
Learning that truth has made all the difference for me.
Ahh, that's good! Thank, Mike!
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