Living in the Spirit
September 29, 2017
Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1-13
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. –Philippians 2:5-11
We have a great role model in Jesus Christ. We must study his words and his ways and incorporate them into our lives. Too often, I fear, we skim the surface of his teaching, picking and choosing the ones that already are part of our natural selves or are easy to master. We let go of the challenging ones.
Remember the story of the rich young ruler? (Matthew19:16-22) He asked Jesus what he must do to be saved, and Jesus told him to follow the commandments. To which the young man said that he had always done that what else should he do. Jesus replied, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
No armchair quarterbacks needed here. We are called to participate fully investing all our skills and resources on Jesus’ team. All of our efforts are needed to build a world ruled by God’s love.
Prayer: Grant us the courage to step out in faith and serve you more nearly. Amen.