Advent Devotional, December 10

Philippians 2:1-11

 

.""Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 

  Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others."

                                                                                                (Philippians 2:3-4)

 

One can easily become self-absorbed in a culture that constantly touts the rights and privileges of the individual.  To view another with contempt because he or she is different in some way is to reject Paul's call to Christlikeness.  In embracing the mind of Christ, we embrace others as they are, not as we want them to be.  Nationality, race, gender, sexuality, religion...these are not litmus test issues to be used in making judgments about who is worthy or not, who is acceptable or not, or who is welcome or not. "...in humility regard others as better than yourselves." 

 

It would seem to me that if the mind of Christ centers around humility and servanthood, and we who claim to follow him are challenged to have that same mind, then our world view must be different.  The Message translation powerfully states this in verse 8 as it says of Jesus, "He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life..."  We see this in the circumstances of his birth and the manner in which he later lived and taught. As he said in Matthew 21, "whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve..."

 

Perhaps, in this Advent season, we would do well to rediscover the mind of Christ, and in doing so, consider anew how we are then to view the world.

 

Prayer:  Dear Jesus, love of God, Incarnate, please forgive my arrogant, self-centered ways, and teach me once more the way of the servant, from the stable of Bethlehem to the cross of Calvary. Amen.

 

Jim Abernathy