Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Philippians+002

Chapter 2 (ESV)

¹ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

REFLECTION:

1. Chapter at a Glance: Paul urged the Philippian Christians to imitate Jesus Christ who is equal with God, yet whose incarnation and life is the supreme example of humility (vv1-18). He commended two men he was about to send to Philippi (vv19-30).
2. Here Paul encouraged Christians to look at the attitude of humility Jesus displayed, and adopt it in our relationships with others. Whatever basis we might have for believing we are better than others, all pales to utter insignificance when we see Jesus, who willingly abandoned His rightful claim of full equality with God, to not only become a human being, but even died on a cross.
3. It’s no wonder that Christians have been considered weak, dull, too scrupulous or too cowardly to make it big in the world. What the world doesn’t understand is that Christians choose humility not out of weakness, but out of strength.
4. How would things change if you consistently applied vv3-8 in your family, church, and work? Which do you need to work on now?

PRAYER:

Dear God! Thank you for giving us Jesus Christ as an example of humility. Lord Jesus willingly set aside His divine glory, humbly came into the world, and not only became a lowly human but also died on the cross. Often, I see myself as superior, but when I compare my life to Jesus’s time on Earth, I feel humbled. I pray that God teaches me to imitate Christ, willingly choosing humility. May I share the same heart as Christ with my brothers and sisters in the church, living a holy and unified life, all for the glory of our Heavenly Father.

HYMN:

Humble King – www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Rohc92j9M