Philippians 2:1-13 (NRSV)
Read Philippians 2:1-13 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 2If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, Verse 2make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Verse 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Verse 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Verse 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, Verse 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, Verse 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, Verse 8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death- even death on a cross. Verse 9Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, Verse 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, Verse 11and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Verse 12Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; Verse 13for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Devotion
What beautiful words! Whatever the origin of those words, countless generations have been inspired, nourished and encouraged by Paul's "Christ hymn.” Who can really fathom the marvelous depth of God's love in the servant-sacrifice of the incarnation and death of Jesus the Christ?
But even more wondrous is the announcement that it was all for us. For Christ’s sake, God continues to mold and shape us to imitate Christ, empowering our willing and doing to compassion and service on behalf of one another.
Inspired by these words, Martin Luther put it this way in his famous Reformation treatise on Christian freedom and vocation: through our baptism into Christ Jesus "the Christian is the dutiful servant of all, subject to all people." Impossible if this were only an item on our "to do" list, it is a marvelous image when we are promised that living this way is a gift that is already ours in Christ Jesus.
Prayer
O Lord, we long for wholeness, for lives in which our willing and doing come together in service to our neighbor. Help us to know that in Christ you are right now, today and each day, at work in us to do this very thing. Amen.