Good morning,
This post comes from one I wrote several years ago. God has made us image bearers and relational beings reflecting His nature, as the triune God - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However, we struggle in this area because we live in our sin, broken since the fall in the Garden of Eden. We struggle because of things like pride and selfishness.
So given that fact what can lead us to reflect more accurately God's intention for relationships?
Humility as the foundation for true Christ-centered relationships
Philippians 2:1-8
Imitating Christ’s Humility
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Humility – definition - the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people: the quality or state of being humble. This word popped into my head during prayer recently – as it often does. I went to my handy note-pad to write it down. It has been on my heart in a few ways over the last few weeks.
I think we all appreciate hearing kind words of encouragement, pats on the back for a job well done – all of this is good for a person’s mood and mind set; providing a sense of being seen and loved both by those around us and by Christ.
However, for me there is danger – using that input to stoke my ego, using that information to take credit, taking those kind words and using them to put myself above others.
Satan loves for us to fall into that trap. Taking the God given gift of positive encouragement and support and gratitude; the gift often shared in love to support one another, Satan turns it into selfishness, if we let him.
That is why I have come to love the word humble in all its forms. Remembering my relationship with God through Jesus Christ, that we have been called to share the good news and to serve others, putting others first and myself second – that is being humble – using those gifts I received from God – those given in His creation of me and those given through the life He has given me to live – to do His will.
When this is my mindset, when I step back from the brink of selfishness and remember who God made me (us) to be, there is warmth of His love to be had in having humility in our hearts for that makes us true servants.
HUMILITY THEN LEADS TO RELATIONSHIPS THAT HOLD VALUE – IN SOME SENSE “HOLY RELATIONSHIPS”, LIKE THE ONE WE HAVE WITH JESUS CHRIST AND GOD THE FATHER.
Relationships - It is pretty clear that relationships are nearly more important than anything else in our lives. It starts with the most important relationship we have – with God, specifically through Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, through which our relationship with the Father has been saved – for eternity.
We are called often in scripture to take this understanding into our relationships that are a part of this world – with our families, friends, those we encounter, even our enemies. Philippians 2:1-8 frames it so well – value each other above yourselves – have the same way of thinking about relationships with each other as Christ did…
This kind of thinking should become normal for us, especially for someone who has received the free gift of salvation through the work of Jesus Christ. We have heard God's call, which means we are responding - and that response is effective in relationship building when it is a humble response.
God blessed me and you in our hearing of His call (for those who have heard Him and responded). His hand is the hand that created each connection, each relationship that led where God has placed you now and each relationship formed in this place has now become a part of the fabric of this season of your/our lives.
Humility laid the foundation for these holy relationships in Christ.
We are richer in our lives and in our lives in Christ, because God felt it was important that, for a little while, our lives connect to those we currently have relationships with – even if it isn’t often, or is seemingly insignificant when we do interact with those around us.
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us today is that we know the truth of God’s desire for us to be humble in service and that we are able to share the warmth of that truth that has been created in our hearts with others, in this current season of relationships You have provided to each reader. I am grateful to be connected (even if it is only slightly) to each reader of this blog. And finally – is that we remember always – relationships built in humility with each other and with other people can truly reflect the You, the Light of Christ. Amen!
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Patrick
This post comes from one I wrote several years ago. God has made us image bearers and relational beings reflecting His nature, as the triune God - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However, we struggle in this area because we live in our sin, broken since the fall in the Garden of Eden. We struggle because of things like pride and selfishness.
So given that fact what can lead us to reflect more accurately God's intention for relationships?
Humility as the foundation for true Christ-centered relationships
Philippians 2:1-8
Imitating Christ’s Humility
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Humility – definition - the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people: the quality or state of being humble. This word popped into my head during prayer recently – as it often does. I went to my handy note-pad to write it down. It has been on my heart in a few ways over the last few weeks.
I think we all appreciate hearing kind words of encouragement, pats on the back for a job well done – all of this is good for a person’s mood and mind set; providing a sense of being seen and loved both by those around us and by Christ.
However, for me there is danger – using that input to stoke my ego, using that information to take credit, taking those kind words and using them to put myself above others.
Satan loves for us to fall into that trap. Taking the God given gift of positive encouragement and support and gratitude; the gift often shared in love to support one another, Satan turns it into selfishness, if we let him.
That is why I have come to love the word humble in all its forms. Remembering my relationship with God through Jesus Christ, that we have been called to share the good news and to serve others, putting others first and myself second – that is being humble – using those gifts I received from God – those given in His creation of me and those given through the life He has given me to live – to do His will.
When this is my mindset, when I step back from the brink of selfishness and remember who God made me (us) to be, there is warmth of His love to be had in having humility in our hearts for that makes us true servants.
HUMILITY THEN LEADS TO RELATIONSHIPS THAT HOLD VALUE – IN SOME SENSE “HOLY RELATIONSHIPS”, LIKE THE ONE WE HAVE WITH JESUS CHRIST AND GOD THE FATHER.
Relationships - It is pretty clear that relationships are nearly more important than anything else in our lives. It starts with the most important relationship we have – with God, specifically through Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, through which our relationship with the Father has been saved – for eternity.
We are called often in scripture to take this understanding into our relationships that are a part of this world – with our families, friends, those we encounter, even our enemies. Philippians 2:1-8 frames it so well – value each other above yourselves – have the same way of thinking about relationships with each other as Christ did…
This kind of thinking should become normal for us, especially for someone who has received the free gift of salvation through the work of Jesus Christ. We have heard God's call, which means we are responding - and that response is effective in relationship building when it is a humble response.
God blessed me and you in our hearing of His call (for those who have heard Him and responded). His hand is the hand that created each connection, each relationship that led where God has placed you now and each relationship formed in this place has now become a part of the fabric of this season of your/our lives.
Humility laid the foundation for these holy relationships in Christ.
We are richer in our lives and in our lives in Christ, because God felt it was important that, for a little while, our lives connect to those we currently have relationships with – even if it isn’t often, or is seemingly insignificant when we do interact with those around us.
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us today is that we know the truth of God’s desire for us to be humble in service and that we are able to share the warmth of that truth that has been created in our hearts with others, in this current season of relationships You have provided to each reader. I am grateful to be connected (even if it is only slightly) to each reader of this blog. And finally – is that we remember always – relationships built in humility with each other and with other people can truly reflect the You, the Light of Christ. Amen!
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Patrick
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