Making Love...Last (6)
Intro: this is Part 6 of 7 contributions i'm supplying to what i like to call the Kem Meyer Bible Study Sensation. Our church (Granger Community Church, Indiana) is currently working through a series about love, and we've been challenged with reading Philippians 2:1-15 each day for the next week. Each of my contributions will cover 3 verses from that reading. These are just my thoughts - they're young, growing and fragile - so be kind.
Paul's words, up to this point, are in direct correlation with God's desire for His children: to seek a relationship with Him and, through that, build strong, loving relationships with each other. There can be no unity where discord exists. Being of one accord (v2) as a body of believers means practicing v14 daily. The amplified version says, "without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God]..." I think part of what kept the Israelites in the desert for 40 years was because they stumbled with obeying this very command.
I recently watched the movie, "Defiance," which is based on a true story about a rebel group of Jews who go into hiding to avoid being killed by Nazi soldiers. This rebellion is led by three brothers, in which the two older brothers are at odds about how to lead their band of displaced Jews. One seeks revenge and shows no hesitation to kill. The other simply wants live and prevent other Jews from dying. One thing is clear to me; when unity wavers between these brothers, hope fades and bickering among the band ensues. When people don't stand together, everything seems to fall apart.
God knows this. Why else would He inspire Paul to command us to love one another, to be united in Christ. Look at the adjectives Paul uses in v15: blameless, pure, children of God, without fault. Hey? Jesus was blameless, pure, God's only son found to be without fault. Verse 15 could very well be another way of saying v5, that our attitudes reflect the love of Christ. i love the consistency in Paul's writing. He never waivers from this one, true thought: if we want to make our lives count, we have to look to the life that counted ours better than his own, who laid down his life for us and defeated with true love.
As I've walked through these past 15 verses, my one hope has been to learn how to humble my mind and open my heart to what God's spirit is trying to show me. (Gal.5:22-26) Am i obedient to God's love in how i love others? Do i share that love with humility and respect? Do I wear a crown of servitude or of self-righteous ambition? These are great questions to ask yourself. They've led me to believe that i have to first receive in order to give. Like that feeling you get, that look in your eyes when you receive something new. A look of awe and wonder over a new pair of shoes or that book you've always wanted or a piece of jewelry. It could be anything, but because it's new, it's highly regarded. Maybe that's what v15 is getting at. God is challenging us to take off our old nature and put on the shiny new nature of Christ. In doing so, others might look to our life in Christ with awe and wonder. And if we're listening to God, we truly will shine.
Paul's words, up to this point, are in direct correlation with God's desire for His children: to seek a relationship with Him and, through that, build strong, loving relationships with each other. There can be no unity where discord exists. Being of one accord (v2) as a body of believers means practicing v14 daily. The amplified version says, "without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God]..." I think part of what kept the Israelites in the desert for 40 years was because they stumbled with obeying this very command.
I recently watched the movie, "Defiance," which is based on a true story about a rebel group of Jews who go into hiding to avoid being killed by Nazi soldiers. This rebellion is led by three brothers, in which the two older brothers are at odds about how to lead their band of displaced Jews. One seeks revenge and shows no hesitation to kill. The other simply wants live and prevent other Jews from dying. One thing is clear to me; when unity wavers between these brothers, hope fades and bickering among the band ensues. When people don't stand together, everything seems to fall apart.
God knows this. Why else would He inspire Paul to command us to love one another, to be united in Christ. Look at the adjectives Paul uses in v15: blameless, pure, children of God, without fault. Hey? Jesus was blameless, pure, God's only son found to be without fault. Verse 15 could very well be another way of saying v5, that our attitudes reflect the love of Christ. i love the consistency in Paul's writing. He never waivers from this one, true thought: if we want to make our lives count, we have to look to the life that counted ours better than his own, who laid down his life for us and defeated with true love.
As I've walked through these past 15 verses, my one hope has been to learn how to humble my mind and open my heart to what God's spirit is trying to show me. (Gal.5:22-26) Am i obedient to God's love in how i love others? Do i share that love with humility and respect? Do I wear a crown of servitude or of self-righteous ambition? These are great questions to ask yourself. They've led me to believe that i have to first receive in order to give. Like that feeling you get, that look in your eyes when you receive something new. A look of awe and wonder over a new pair of shoes or that book you've always wanted or a piece of jewelry. It could be anything, but because it's new, it's highly regarded. Maybe that's what v15 is getting at. God is challenging us to take off our old nature and put on the shiny new nature of Christ. In doing so, others might look to our life in Christ with awe and wonder. And if we're listening to God, we truly will shine.
