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Monday (Day 16)

VERSES: Philippians 2:1-11

There is a fundamental problem with humanity today. This problem is not the economy or immigration or national defense or disease or whatever other issue makes the evening news. The fundamental problem with humanity is sin.

The word sin means to miss the mark, to err. Ultimately, humanity has a condition that has sinned against God and wandered away from His direction and design. While the effects of our sin show up in the issues we see on the news each night, the root cause lies within the hearts of us all. In fact, we even bring it to church.

Churches all over the world for the past 2000 years are made up of sinners. Did you know that? Of course those who have turned to Christ are forgiven sinners, and have a declared new identity before God as “saint” or “one made holy,” but even the “saints” inside the church sin in what they think, do, and say. It is a real problem.

At its core, sin compels people to act in selfish ways, looking out for only themselves, to the neglect of the needs of those around them. When a person places themselves and their desires above everything else, including God and the needs of others, they are moving in the direction of sin.

So how can humanity escape this vicious loop? Well, in today’s verses, the Apostle Paul describes a path out … by following the pattern and thinking of Jesus Christ. As we saw yesterday, Jesus is God, and has resided forever in heaven above, yet He did not cling to the luxury of heaven, but instead chose to come to this earth to serve our needs. He informed our ignorance, healed our diseases, identified with our existence, and ultimately died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. He did all of this for us. He looked “not only to His interests but also to the interests of others.”

The birth, life, and death of Jesus create a beautiful model for Christians to serve one another, and not always look out for number one. How can you serve others and consider them as more important than yourself this week?