Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Phillipians 2:5-8

In this passage, Paul is writing to the Philippians from prison, emphasizing the importance of living a life of humility. He does this by telling of the most humble act ever demonstrated. Jesus Christ, who existed in the form of God, descended to earth and took on the body of a human being. His obedience led to death on Cross. In the history of time, no one has, or ever will, give up more.

It’s hard to know what specific issues were leading to selfish behavior in the Philippians, but I imagine their problems were not all that much different than what we deal with today. We want what we want. When we don’t get what we want, we get mad. Fixated on our own agenda, we lose sight of the world around us. This happens in politics, in church and even in our own homes with the people we love the most.

There is no way unity can exist when we are ruled by our own selfish ambition, or when we are so consumed by our own “rights” that we are unable to see from the perspective of others. Our natural instinct is to defend our position. The goal is to win, even though victory seldom, if ever, returns anything resembling peace or fulfillment.

Mistakenly, I often fall into the trap of viewing humility as a sign of weakness. Philippians 2:5-8 reminds me that there is nothing weak about sacrificing my own personal agenda in order to love and serve others. May we have an uncommon love and heart to serve this advent season.

Weekly Bible Verse: The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Psalm 19.1