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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
Not from Conceit
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,
but in humility consider others better than yourself.”
Philippians 2:3 (NIV)
Paul told the Philippian believers to forget self and remember they were not number one. He tells them to put others and their needs before the needs they had. This flies in the face of the “me” generation. Also, Paul’s guidance would cause people to deal with the mindset of recent years that ‘it’s all about me.’
Over 25 years ago, I started worshipping at a small church about a half mile from where we live. One of the older ladies of the church once told a group of us a way to handle ministering to others and basically how to live our lives; she used the word JOY. She said it meant *J*esus, *O*thers, *Y*ourself.
As we travel through this our lives, let us all prayerfully reflect on what it means to follow and to emulate Jesus as we walk in this world.
Interests
Each of you should look not only to your interests
but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:4 (NIV)
Paul spoke to a diverse church. Some were converts from Judaism. Others were from other areas, Rome, Greece, and who knows where else. There could have been a Roman jailer who worked in this colony for the empire. Each believer had a different background.
Even today, we see people from different backgrounds come together to form a body of worship. In our protestant church, we have several people who have a Roman Catholic background. We have a family where the husband/father grew up in a home where his parent’s native language was spoken. He is first generation American. I have heard that he can speak that native language of his parents.
We have people who come to the Lord as adults and have no Christian heritage to guide them. They learn of the Lord each day of their walk. Some people return to the Lord after they realize their need of a Savior and King.
Sometimes, people working in a church encounter people who have been accused of transgressing the law of the land. Some of those we encounter are relatives of those who are paying a debt to society.
We have to show Jesus to all we meet and with whom we work. As we strive together we learn to keep God uppermost in our lives. If those who are different from us have needs, we are to try to bring those needs to resolution. When the body of Christ works together, it works together not caring who amongst them gets the credit. They give that credit to Jesus.
Dear God:
Please show us how to show Jesus’ love to those we meet as we walk this earth. Help us to put others before ourselves in our daily business. Let us worship and follow You as we prepare ourselves for the time we will be with You in Your home. In the name of Jesus, we pray. AMEN
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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