"Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. "
How well are we serving one another? Do nothing out of selfish ambition... Do nothing out of conceit (or vain conceit NIV)... in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself (or "in humility consider others better than yourself" NIV)... How well or how often do we do this?
"God's kind of serving love comes from choice, not coercion, from strength not weakness, from gladness, not guilt" (Jaynes 103).
Luke 6:38: "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put in to your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you".
1 Peter 5:5b: "Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (See also James 4:6; Prov 3:34)
James 4:10: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up"
Humility requires a personal quality of dependence on God and respect for other people; it is a God-given virtue of holy living. The essence of the mind of Christ was humility and sacrificial love for others. Christ came as a humble savior, was obedient to God's will, which led to His death on the cross. Now that's humble serving!! To reflect God's love, we need to have this same heart of humility, of sacrificial love in our "me first" society!!
Matt 23:12: "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (see also Luke 14:11, 18:14).
References:
All scripture from NKJV Women's Study Bible, unless otherwise noted
"Becoming the Woman of His Dreams" by Sharon Jaynes
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