Therefore if there is any encouragement 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 then himself. Let each of you look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others. ~Philippians 2:1-4
This is one of my favorite verses. I know I say that about every verse I put- OH GEE they’re just ALL so good!- but this epitomizes what love should be. Jesus summed it up when He said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Everything else is really just an offshoot from this.
Without a doubt, sometimes we do not FEEL like doing unto others as we want done unto us. Sometimes we FEEL quite the opposite. Maybe we FEEL we have been abused, or we FEEL cranky or bitter. But Jesus didn’t say Do unto others when you feel like it, did He? We must always do what is right despite our feelings. And love is not a feeling, but it does affect our feelings.
I like the part of the verse that says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit… look out… also for the interests of others.” This is not easy. Our nature is set toward “self” and denying our self is sometimes painful or downright annoying. This is why God sent His Son (John 3:16) and why He gives us His Spirit, to enable us to do this (Romans 8:4). And when we fail (sometimes again and again!), He is merciful and longsuffering to forgive us so we can try again (1 John 1:8-9)! That, more than anything, proves that God truly is love. He is compassionate and does not condemn, but rather He gives us His Spirit to help us! And the joy and peace that comes from walking in this- there really isn’t anything that can compare with it.
These are some lyrics from one of my favorite songs, Saviour King, by Hillsongs. So beautiful!
And now the weak say I have strength
By the spirit of power that raised Christ from the dead
And now the poor stand and confess
That my portion is Him and I’m more than blessedLet now our hearts burn with a flame
A fire consuming all for your Son’s holy name
And with the heavens we declare
You are our kingWe love you Lord, we worship you
You are our God, you alone are goodYou asked your Son to carry this
The heavy cross our weight of sinI love you Lord, I worship you
Hope which was lost, now stands renewed
I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the savior kingLet now your church shine as the bride
That you soar in your heart as you offered up your life
Let now the lost be welcomed home
By the saved and redeemed those adopted as your ownI give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the savior king
For more of The Word For Wednesday posts and participants, see Yeah, Right!
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September 16, 2009 at 6:48 pm
That is so true! Whenever I think of the golden rule, I think of how Peter says, “Esteem one another more highly than yourself.” We really need to treat each other with kindness, even when we think they don’t deserve it, because they are made in the image of God, too.
I’ve really been enjoying what you’ve studied on love so far. Can’t wait till next week!
September 16, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Oh, by the way, I love the lyrics and the song! :-D
September 16, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Ah, I needed to hear this. Or should I say, be REMINDED of this. Great post, thanks! :-)
September 16, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Loving one another is full time job because our selfish pride tries to get its say. But thank God for His forgiveness when we fail :-D
There is so many verses that tell us how to love this is one of them from 1 Peter 3:8-9 “To sum it all up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”
Oh,
one more Eph. 4:32 “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
God is so good :worship: Thanks for WFW :bop:
September 17, 2009 at 10:11 am
I almost didn’t post this week, because I am reformatting my daughter’s computer (ugh, what a job!)… but I am glad I did. I got really encouraged by stirring myself up by way of reminder, and all your comments are very encouraging!!
Plus, I see *somebody* has been having fun with the animated smilies! :shades:
September 17, 2009 at 11:13 am
Great scripture passage for sure! This is one I have committed to memory and have written in my favorite scriptures book. Memorized it a long, long time ago but always try to practice it. I was surprised to see this typie of post on here. I don’t recall seeing others like this on here before. :-P
September 17, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Yep, you caught me
First time commenter having some FUN 
Your comment made me
Ryan’s brother sends :bananaguitar:
September 20, 2009 at 7:01 am
Good post, Rebecca. (I just found it, and put your link in Mr. Linky. We have 8 this week, and one more newcomer!)
I’m glad to see you stating that “love” is not a feeling. That worldly concept has filled much of the church without much dissent, and needs to be clarified … like this, maybe: :abangpan: :abangpan: :abangpan:
Enjoy your Sunday!