Recently, I was reading through the book of Philippians, and there were some simple verses that really spoke to me.
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others as significant as yourself.” (2:3)
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” (2:14)
Ugh. It was a good heart check to apply those verses to my life! It would be good for you to apply them to your life. I believe Paul was being specifically intentional in his writing. He wanted the reader (that’s you and me) to evaluate our thoughts and motives. He doesn’t want us to just read the words. He then goes on to say:
“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice.” (4:4)
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.” (4:7)
Again, God spoke to me in those verses. The only way to accomplish the second set of verses is by living out the first set of verses. Do you see that?
It was a painful task to ask myself, “Do I do things that are selfish?” Am I constantly saying, “I, Me or My” when talking to others? Am I being truly humble? Do I grumble at everything? Do I dispute decisions that are out of my control? I realized that I could definitely use some help!
Paul told us rejoice in the Lord — he actually said it to us twice (must be important). Then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our HEARTS and MINDS.
It’s something we can all work on in our lives.
Amen.
Tony
Posted in A Word from the Pastor