Monday, May 12, 2025

We’ll begin our week with Philippians 2:1-5 … Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. (NLT) Today’s passage starts and ends with Jesus. In the community united in Christ, we can receive encouragement, comfort, fellowship, tenderness, compassion, agreement, and humility as we work together in one mind and purpose … and here’s the real key—with the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Listen now to this same passage in The Message Bible … If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.

As our culture becomes increasingly self-absorbed and self-focused, these Christlike qualities are going to become more and more attractive to our own hearts, to those in the faith, and those outside.

What phrase jumped out at you today?

I love the idea of “deep-spirited friends.” When we choose to put ourselves aside and help others get ahead, we can experience a community of deep-spirited friends. We will find those folks we can trust, lean on, count on, and do life with.

Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, thank You for the kind of heavenly comfort, encouragement, and fellowship we can have in You. Help me to be the kind of friend in the faith that today’s passage talks about and be a part of Your community that can change the world. As above, so below.”