If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. -Phillipians 2.1-4
2 thoughts:
1) What a sobering challenge in a "me first" world. If the beginning of humility is feeling completely inadequate and unqualified then maybe I'm getting somewhere...
2) Also, in politics, do a large portion of evangelicals feel no obligation to be compassionate as instructed in verse 4? Or are things like universal healthcare just enabling? Or is that just a convenient excuse?
5 comments:
totally resonating with your thoughts... i mean, how many people really believe "everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others"
that doesn't sound like capitalism to me at all, yet i hear so many people [christians] spouting off about how amazing it is... it just seems so contradictory.
hmm...
On thought 2: it comes down to responsibility. Whose responsible? Do we the people forsake our responsibility and place it on the government? Read the latest post on Austin Hall: austinhalltypepad.com -- interesting thoughts on universal healthcare.
Try this instead: austinhall.typepad.com
Hil,
What a great post. This passage is so strong in edifying the body and challenging of those who want to just sit and see to be motivated to live out the way of Jesus. What's greater is the following verse's of how these things were demonstrated in the life of Jesus. Seems to line up really well with Isaiah 58 on true and false worship.
what does it really look like when you live this way, and imagine if we, the Church, started to give up our lives -dreams, hopes, desires, needs and wants alike - for others to benefit. This, truly, is how they shall know us... by a love that can not be fathomed.
One of my favorite teachers once elaborated on the particular exhortation "consider others as better than yourselves" by rephrasing it thusly:
"be pulling for others to do better than you do"
I covet a posture of heart that cheers on others to do over and above what I am capable.
Post a Comment