Be Christ Like

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:1-4

The first verse of today’s devotion starts off with a series of conditional statements; Paul writes to the Church of Philippi regarding their relationship with and growth in the Lord… The conditional statements written above reflect the makeup that must be present in the body or image of a child of God; understand today that being a child of God is not something that is proclaimed verbally; in walking under the leadership of our Father we are called to demonstrate our love and faith in Him by the things which we partake in daily… If you are a child of God then you will demonstrate these things; in the midst of uncertainty and danger you will have encouragement from the relationship that you have formed with Christ; despite the things that you are dealing with and the times of loneliness that you may endure, you have comfort from His love and fellowship with the Spirit… No matter what seen or unseen dangers come your way, you have a stable atmosphere and mindset which is totally focused and dependent on the Lord… In reading this passage, it brings to light the fact that adversity and trials display the true depth of the relationship a person has with the Lord or how much their relationship truly is lacking… The Bible declares that suffering, persecutions, trials, and tribulations are a vital part of growth and maturation; however, I am also of the mindset that these things are vital to displaying our faith or the areas of our lives that still need work… 

If you become so bogged down with bad news that it keeps you from being encouraged in Christ, you need to check the depth of your relationship with Him… If you feel so lonely that you run from house to house or bed to bed, you need to check your desire for love versus lust, if you find yourself constantly being surrounded by the wrong kind of people, you need to check your fellowship with the Spirit… In Jesus you can have abundant happiness and joy; this is why Paul says then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love… Jesus laid down His life and took on all insults, mocks, and ridicule without mumbling a single word… We have the greatest demonstration of faith when Jesus gave up the ghost trusting that His Father would raise Him from the dead… The things of this earth could not shake Him because His life was a testimony to the love of God and the faithfulness that will be displayed when we walk in faith… This is why Jesus cried out from the cross and the bible says that an onlooker came to the conclusion that surely He was the son of God… When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!" The things that you endure will not overtake you in Christ, they may be uncomfortable to endure; however, they will not cause you to neglect your ministry… As a matter of fact, when you are walking in the will of God the most trying time become the most impactful times in the lives of others… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!