Becoming More Like Jesus: Reflections on Phil. 2Намуна

“Do and Don’t”

(Philippians 2:3-5)

The Bible offers both many dos and many don’ts for the life of discipleship. In order to have the loving, compassionate, active, and unified community God desires for us, Paul offers these pairs of do and do not.

Do not be selfish or try to impress others.
Do be humble and think of others before yourself. (This should actually be “all y’all’s selves.")

Do not look out for just your own interests.
Do take an interest in others and their lives.

And the most important do of all:

DO have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Followers of Jesus are called to imitate him, to be conformed to his image, to be holy as he is holy, to love as he loved, to obey as he obeyed, to abide as he abides, to share in his suffering. In short, followers of Jesus are called to become more like Jesus each and every day in their thoughts, affections, and actions — head, heart, and hands.

Becoming more like Jesus is impossible on our own power. Loving other people as Jesus loves us is impossible on our own. Being humble and thinking of others before ourselves is impossible on our own.

But we are not left on our own. Jesus said to his friends: “It is better for me to leave you so that I can leave my Holy Spirit with you.” That Spirit, says Paul, is the very same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, now living in us. 

The Spirit that resurrected Jesus can shape and form and change us into the people we are meant to be IF we surrender to him, empty ourselves of self, and allow him to fill us.

REFLECTION

Copy out Philippians 2:3-5 for yourself.

When have you struggled with trying to impress others? Why?

How can you be more intentional about thinking of others before yourself?

How do these verses relate to the life of individual people? to communities of believers?