Humility

Sorry I didn't get a devotion out yesterday and am very late today. My family is on vacation at Ridgecrest and the internet has been down. So let's jump right into our devotion.

Today's lesson is very hard as the world teaches us to look out for self and this teaches the exact opposite!

Philippians 2:1-4

Unity Through Humility

1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Look at the words used in theses verses love, fellowship, affection, mercy, being like minded, one accord. The church is to fulfilling all of these to one another and also the outside world in some respects like love, mercy, and affection. Is the church doing a very good job? Some places yes and other places no.

But today I really want to look at verses 3 and 4. This is where the humility part comes to a head. Let nothing be done out of selfish ambition or conceit. That describes the world perfectly. It is all about me and what I can get and how I can get recognized. Think about that for a moment. Am I wrong? Then God's word goes on to tell us to esteem others better than himself. Who does that? That's not what I see the T.V. telling me to do. Everyman for himself, right? That is why God's word tells us to be different and not to conform to the ways of this world. Then H goes on to tell us yes watch out for your own interests but also the interests of others. I really believe here Paul is talking about the less fortunate. I mean the rich can take care of themselves but those in need can not. So church are we helping those in need? Sometimes yes. But what about those millions of babies for example that are being aborted every year or those who are staving every night? We can always do more and we can or I should speak for myself and say I can always show more humility than I have today!

God bless...have a great night!

Tom