When I was a kid, I had chores to do. My brother and I were supposed to take turns cleaning the bathroom sink. We had a lot of disagreements about whose turn it was. I also remember a time a friend and I made apples with cinnamon and sugar. Then we forgot and left them for a month. When I found them in the playhouse, they were white and fuzzy—I had never seen anything like it before! My oldest brother insisted I throw them out. I insisted I didn’t want to! They were too icky! There are often jobs nobody wants to do. But life is better when somebody does it.
Think for a moment. Who takes out the trash at your house? Who cleans the toilet? A very wonderful person! When there is someone in your household who loves to wash dishes, you are blessed!
There are chores at home. In work, school, every organization there is work to do, and not everybody wants to do it. How do we determine who is going to do the stuff nobody wants to do? How do we work together?
The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi in the book, Philippians, chapter 2 verse 1. He says, “Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” If you read between the lines, Paul is saying, get along, work together! Paul doesn’t want the Philippians giving him headaches. He is their founding father. He says make me happy, work together so well you are as one! One for all and all for one!
In verse 3 Paul says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” I really don’t like to hear that: “consider others better than yourselves.” I think, have some self-respect! That’s hard to take. But thinking more about others would make it easier to resolve differences. if we care about the other person in a disagreement, it’s easier to listen and work things out. Now Paul doesn’t want us to be a doormat! He just wants us to believe in the other person. Say, “Hey, it’s not like you to leave me with all the dishes. I know you’re a kind and caring person!” You can ask for help, believing in the other person.
Verse 5 continues, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. That sounds like a pretty good way to work out disagreements. Think about what everybody’s interests are, and work something out you can all live with.
In life, we have those moments when we just love and care for the entire world. But then we so easily fall back into thinking: life is survival of the fittest! I have to look after myself, because no one else cares.
It takes real effort to think and care about others for the long haul.
Paul gives advice: Get along! Don’t just think about yourself. Not just advice. He gives an attitude check. He says, “Have the mindset of Christ Jesus”:
Then Paul puts a poem about Jesus in his letter.
The Bible at this point was just the Old Testament. Paul had written letters that eventually would be part of New Testament. Still there is no New Testament yet. But there is a poem Paul has heard, and he thinks this is a great reminder for Christians about who we follow:
The poem talks about Jesus: Who, although he was in the nature of God, didn’t use that to his advantage. He didn’t Lord his authority and power over everybody else; he didn’t expect them to wash his feet. Instead, Jesus made himself a human, a servant. He humbled himself. He was obedient to God, even suffering and dying on the cross! This first half of the poem has Jesus starting in the nature of God, so he is great. But he puts that aside and comes as a baby, a humble human. He goes even lower: he suffers and dies on the cross. Jesus isn’t upwardly mobile, he is going down, down, down. He dies a despised man. Paul wants us to have that mindset, that attitude, that we are here to serve.
Verses 9-11 of the poem changes direction from down to up: Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Paul says this is our Lord. This is who we worship. A guy who so loved the whole world, he gave us all, gave us his life! It is crazy for us to say Jesus is Lord, and then live like life is all about me! We worship Jesus, because he lived for all, he died for all, he is Lord of all. He was one person, who was for all.
That’s our God, humble, one person for all people. Jesus’ life shows us that if you are for other people, there is a reward. Jesus was glorified. We are blessed when we are for all.
Jesus had a different way of thinking. In this world you might think you have to claw your way up the ladder of life and push other people out of the way. Jesus didn’t do that. His mindset was humble, thinking of others. He had time for the least of all. And he is Lord of all. Jesus life shows us: if you are for other people, people will be for you.
Some researchers tried something: they gave people some money and they said, “Go spend it on someone else.” People did. They told other people, “Here is some money, go spend it on yourself.” Those people did that. Who was happier? The people who spent it on someone else felt more positive. It actually feels pretty good to think about and be helpful to other people.
Jesus was humble. He didn’t have a poor opinion of himself. He didn’t walk around saying, “I’m no good. I’m nothing.” No, he accepted himself, and his good qualities. He also knew his limitations, like that he needed rest and time with God. He recognized that others had good qualities, too, and were valuable. He praised people for their faith, he ate and drank with sinners, and made himself available to bless children. When people tried to quiet blind Bartimaeus, Jesus said, Bartimaeus, come on down! People were valuable to Jesus.
What does it mean to be humble like Jesus? “Humble people recognize that, although they have some special accomplishments or abilities, they are just like everybody else.
So, they don’t expect extra attention, interest, favors, or special treatment from other people. And when you don’t expect to receive special treatment, you are more ready to work together with other people. You don’t insist that washing the sink is not your job, or that you don’t have to clean up after yourself.
Once Vince Lombardi, who was one of the greatest football coaches ever, was asked what it takes to make a winning team. He said, “There are a lot of coaches with good ball clubs who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline but still don’t win the game. If you are going to play together as a team, you’ve got to care for one another. You’ve got to love each other. Each player has to be thinking about the next guy and be saying to himself: ‘If I don’t block that man, Paul is going to get his legs broken. I have to do my job well in order that he can do his.’ The difference between mediocrity and greatness is the feeling these guys have for each other.
The Apostle Paul knew that was what the church in Philippi needed to succeed: they had to be thinking about the next guy, the other people in the church. They have to feel for each other. No team can win if everybody just thinks about themselves.
So, here’s your homework this week: Notice the greatness in someone and tell them what is great about them. Build them up, lift them up. Or Pray for good things for someone. It doesn’t make you less. You get rewarded.
Paul wanted to teach the Christians at Philippi how to get along and work together. He included the example of Christ: who put aside his greatness, and was one of us, and for us all. He gave his life for the world. And God lifted him up and gave him glory. Jesus is one who was for all. He teaches us how to get along, how to work as a team. When we live as one for all, God rewards us. Amen.
September 27, 2020
Maureen Duffy-Guy's blog 