Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus ~Phil 2:3-5~
So, to give some necessary context yesterday, in my reading through Philippians, I read v1-2. I discovered there are there contained two 'check lists' if you like.
List 1
- Do you have any encouragement from being united with Christ?
- Do you have any comfort from his love?
- Do you have any fellowship in the Spirit?
- Do you have any tenderness and compassion?
It seems if you do, (although Paul was writing to the Philippians, it seems the obligation falls on all followers of Jesus) then there is a second more tricky check list. I would think most all believers would be able to check off the items on the first list!
List 2
- Be like minded
- Have the same love
- Be one in Spirit
- Be of one mind (See also item 1)
The reason I highlight these verses is because it is to this end that the instructions are given in todays verses! Out of context they don't have the clarity we need.
These instructions, although they apply to us as individuals in our behaviour, can only be practiced in fellowship. You cannot complete this mission solo. How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity....there the Lord commands the blessing. (Psalm 133).
And we can be tempted to believe that all self interest is bad or prohibited. It is very difficult to make a distinction between selfish ambition and self interest. But I don't believe Jesus or Paul meant us to take this to a level of self neglect. An extension of God's love to us must surely mean we are to 'love ourselves'. Although we must be careful in our navigation of the notion of 'self love', we are actually commanded to have it. How can we love our neighbour as ourselves without it? And we see that we are to love God first (with all our strength, soul and mind). It is in regarding the creator we honour him by loving what he has made.
However, as I have established the context for these words is community.
And we can be tempted to believe that all self interest is bad or prohibited. It is very difficult to make a distinction between selfish ambition and self interest. But I don't believe Jesus or Paul meant us to take this to a level of self neglect. An extension of God's love to us must surely mean we are to 'love ourselves'. Although we must be careful in our navigation of the notion of 'self love', we are actually commanded to have it. How can we love our neighbour as ourselves without it? And we see that we are to love God first (with all our strength, soul and mind). It is in regarding the creator we honour him by loving what he has made.
However, as I have established the context for these words is community.
Phil 2:3 says 'do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit'. The context is community, humility and unity. If you really rigorously look at that instruction, you'll see it might seem to apply to just about all you do. Pretty hard hitting.
But this is in the context of putting your needs in front of others. It is with the goal of creating unity in the community. Don't be pushy or grabbing or overbearing etc. This still has a massive impact but it is not to say what you want and need is not important. The fantastic thing is that in a community that gets this right, you have everyone else looking out for those things for you! While you are freed from them (to an extent) as you look to the needs of others. We should be falling over ourselves with helpful encouraging love, but this new culture must start with a little self sacrifice. Paul points straight away to Jesus. He is God and yet, he is humble. He demonstrated his lordship with a towel and a bowl of water. He enjoys us enjoying each other.
One of the biggest challenges here in our individualistic society is actually living in community in such a way. We can try and apply this in the confines of our own nuclear family unit, if we are blessed to have one (and I strongly recommend that we do apply it), but some of us may not have a believing family, and besides this is supposed to apply to the body of believers that we 'do life with', as the common vernacular has it. We are so lost. Even before COVID. We retreat to our separate houses as soon as church service is done. Now we are so removed that we can mute the worship songs we don't like or the boring speakers, wonder off and make a tea during the service. Duck out of breakout rooms, hide our faces when we don't want to be seen, as if wearing a mask in each others presence wasn't bad enough (I accept that we must but it does come with a cost). How can we prefer other people if we are not involved in some kind of engagement with them? In this COVID world we need to recalibrate how we do community.
Just questions and few answers, but we must ask honestly of God how to apply these teachings. How can we have the same mindset (in our relationships with each other) as Christ Jesus?
One of the biggest challenges here in our individualistic society is actually living in community in such a way. We can try and apply this in the confines of our own nuclear family unit, if we are blessed to have one (and I strongly recommend that we do apply it), but some of us may not have a believing family, and besides this is supposed to apply to the body of believers that we 'do life with', as the common vernacular has it. We are so lost. Even before COVID. We retreat to our separate houses as soon as church service is done. Now we are so removed that we can mute the worship songs we don't like or the boring speakers, wonder off and make a tea during the service. Duck out of breakout rooms, hide our faces when we don't want to be seen, as if wearing a mask in each others presence wasn't bad enough (I accept that we must but it does come with a cost). How can we prefer other people if we are not involved in some kind of engagement with them? In this COVID world we need to recalibrate how we do community.
Just questions and few answers, but we must ask honestly of God how to apply these teachings. How can we have the same mindset (in our relationships with each other) as Christ Jesus?
