Philippians 2:1-4

New American Standard Version

1 If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Pastor’s Paraphrase

          Has becoming one with Christ through faith given you any encouragement at all?  Have you received any comfort from experiencing the love of Christ in your life?  Have you discovered what it means to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit? Has God placed in your heart any tenderness and compassion toward others? If so, it would give me complete joy in the Lord if you would become a people of God with one mind and purpose - living your lives with the same passion for the things that are important to our Lord.

           This would bring you to complete unity of mind and heart.  To please the Lord in this way, you cannot do anything that is motivated by selfish desires nor can you allow arrogance to poison your attitude toward others.  Instead, you show humility of heart in that you are more concerned about others than you are about yourself. You must not be focused only on your own life with its concerns and worries, but you must show a sincere interest in the lives of others around you and what is happening to them.

 “How does this help me become more like Him?”

          We become more like Christ when we care more about others than ourselves.  When the Pharisees tried to entrap Jesus by dragging before Him the woman caught in the act of adultery, Jesus was moved with compassion for her rather than being concerned with the attack on Himself.  When the disciples scolded those who were seeking to bring the children to Jesus, our Lord helped them to understand how important other people were no matter what their age might be.

          I understand that you have more than your share of cares, worries, and concerns just dealing with your own life and affairs.  Sometimes it seems like more than we are capable of handling.  Yet, an amazing spiritual dynamic comes into play when we refuse to become absorbed with only our life and family.  When we truly care about others – especially those who we stand nothing to gain from helping – the Lord uses our compassion to bring a whole new dimension of grace into our lives.  Rather than narrow and restricted by our own self-interests, our world opens up to a broad horizon of ways in which God wants to touch the lives of others through us.

          The most Christlike people I know are those who communicate a genuine love, care, and concern for other people.  They treat everyone with compassion, kindness, and grace.  They are great people but marked by genuine humility.  They listen when you speak to them and you know that they really do care what is going on in your life.  I want to be more like that because I want to be more like Jesus.  I understand that only the Holy Spirit can change my heart on a daily basis and make me more concerned with others – more like Christ!

“How should I pray for Him to change my life?”

Pray that the Lord would extinguish all pride and self-centeredness and make you more genuinely concerned about others.  Ask Him to do a deep and continuing work in your heart to give you the same kind of heart that He has for others.  Look for opportunities today to care for others and ask Him for the compassion to be His hands of love to them.