Philippians 1:23-2:4
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
2:1Therefore 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. [1]
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What jumped out at me in today’s passage is Paul’s focus on living to serve others. I had never before connected 1:24 (“but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body”) and 2:3-4 (“in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”) Normally these two sections are treated independently. They come up at different times in the church year reading schedule. But by putting them together, we can see that this concern of Paul’s, living to serve others, is very important to him.
Paul points out in 1:23-25 that the reason he knows that it is not time to depart and be with Christ is that he needs to continue serving the Philippians and others. In other words, the purpose of his life is not himself, but others. For himself it would be better to depart and be with the Lord. But, as he puts it in 2:3-4, he is valuing others above himself, not looking to his own interests, but rather to theirs.
Who am I living for? Who am I seeking to serve? Our natural inclination because of the fall is to serve ourselves. But Paul calls us, both by his own example, and the meaning of being united with Christ, that we are to serve others and look to their interests before our own.
What does that mean for me today? I don’t know specifically, nor do I know how God is calling you to serve today. But I know this passage is leading me today to pray that I may have a servant’s heart, along with a servant’s hands and feet today, looking to the needs and interests of those around me
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Php 1:23–2:4). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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