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March 30 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3,4. Paul is showing us one fulfillment of the Gospel—placing ourselves in the role of the servant. We know that Jesus showed us the way of serving, and His very nature has come to live within us and motivate us to serve in the same manner. We see from these verses that it is proper to take care of our own interests, but in so doing we are never to forget the interests of others. Jesus modeled this performance to the highest degree. He showed us how to regard even His enemies as most important—to the point of dying for them at the cross. How can we attain this motivation? The new creation within us cries out to do this. We have the Christ-life, through the Holy Spirit, showing us at every opportunity how it is to be done. The fruit of the Spirit will always be expressed during our ventures into service for others. We need only to look for it and thank the Lord for it. Sometimes serving others starts off like a burden, but afterwards it produces the peaceful fruit of proper behavior. We can look back and know that we were used in a way that honored Jesus. Thank You, Father, for making things this way. We sometimes serve imperfectly, but slowly but surely we see our way more clearly in the way we serve others. We learn by trying, by doing, by faltering at times, but in the end we become more like Christ. It is a pleasure to serve You as well. Amen. |
