Sunday Scripture

 

Each Sunday I'm continuing to share from the Made for Community reading plan from Love God Greatly that I worked on back in 2015.  With this study, as I have often done, I used the SOAP method of Bible study.  Just a quick reminder that the S is for Scripture, O is for Observation, A is for Application and P is for Prayer.  As you will see, I went a bit more in-depth with this study. 

The second section is Made for Community with People.  So here we go with the Scripture for the first day of that section.  

S=  "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 2:3-5)

O= For a little background, this letter to the Philippians was one of Paul's prison epistles, written from Rome.  Paul had visited Philippi on his second missionary journey and had seen folks like Lydia and the Philippian jailor come to trust Christ.  Now, a few years later, the church at Philippi was well established, so that Paul addressed this letter to "all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons."  [The word translated "bishops" here means "overseers" or "elders".]

So Paul's instruction here is to believers.  C.I. Scofield calls this section of chapter 2 "an exhortation to meekness and unity."  In verse 3 Paul exhorts first of all: "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory."  Two cross-references are given:

GALATIANS 5:26 -- "Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another."

JAMES 3:14 -- "But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth."

"Strife" in verse 3 is defined as "rivalry, factions.'

Instead of these actions of strife and vainglory, we are to do something different.  In lowliness of mind, each of us is to esteem others as better than ourselves.

We are not only to pay attention to our own things.  A cross-reference is 1 Corinthians 3:5 -- "Love ... seeketh not its own."  Instead, we are also to look on, or consider, the things of others.  A cross-reference is Romans 15:1-2 -- "We, then, that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification."

And we are to let the same mind be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus.  Several verses are given for comparison:

Matthew 11:29 -- "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

John 13:14 -- "If I, then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet."

Romans 15:3a -- "For even Christ pleased not Himself."

1 Peter 2:21 -- "For even hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in His steps."

A= So, am I doing anything through strife or vainglory?  I think in considering this, I can honestly say I am not doing anything through strife.  Vainglory, however, might be quite another matter.  I don't want to do anything from such a motive, and I don't think that I actually do.  But certainly vainglory can enter into any service that believers do for the Lord, even if our original motives are pure and right.  It can be very flattering when people look up to us as being spiritual leaders.

But this passage shows us a better way.  In lowliness of mind, I am to esteem others better than myself.  This doesn't come naturally! It is supernatural and can only be done in God's strength.  

In addition, we are not to please ourselves.  We are not to seek our own things or only pay attention to our own needs and concerns.  Instead, we are to have the good and the edification of others in mind.  This is how Christ, our great Example, lived.  We are to let the same mind be in us, and we are to follow in His steps.

P= "Lord, again I thank You for the clear and practical teaching in Your Word.  I am so thankful too that You have given us the example of how You conducted Yourself and how You cared for needs in the lives of others.

"I pray that You will help me not to do anything or react to any situation with strife or vainglory, but to have lowliness of mind and to esteem others as better than myself.  Help me to meet needs in the lives of others and not to just selfishly care for my own concerns.  I thank You for all You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

That's the study for this week!  I do hope that someone is blessed and encouraged by it.