What Christ-like Love Looks Like

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 What Christ-like Love Looks Like

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-4 (NKJV)

2 Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.

Devotion:

            In today's scripture passage, Paul looks at the ideal standard of behavior for Christian Churches. Because of Christ's love for His church, we are always to love and serve one another. Without the presence of the Holy Spirit, such mutual love is impossible. We all have differing opinions about how things should be done. However, in Christ, we can find a way to love our neighbor who does not think like us and live at peace in the uniting power of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

            We are admonished not to put our needs over the needs of our brother or sister in Christ. If the church could begin to appropriate the power of the Spirit to do this, our churches would become more like families of faith and less like social clubs. No church member can claim superiority on any human basis; we all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross. We are sinners in need of salvation but unable to obtain it through our efforts. It is only the grace of our Savior that offers us any hope.

            Indeed, we are to count others as being more significant than ourselves. Because of the love Jesus has for us, we are humbled. We, through Christ, are free to love one another in new and powerful ways. We are to promote the interests and desires of others over our own. Through the flesh, this is folly. Only through the grace of God, given in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, can we obtain and sustain this attitude. God is pleased when His children love one another in this way.

            Therefore, relying on the life-changing power of God, let us seek to do what we see written about in this passage. May these words not just be dormant on the page but be taken in and lived out in our daily lives as the Holy Spirit empowers us to live. Let us join our hearts, minds, and souls in prayer that this attitude will rule our lives.

Prayer:

            Lord, we desire to live out these words of Paul in our daily lives. The Holy Spirit, fill us with your power so we may love others even as you have loved us. May we each seek to live so that our lives encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to love God and others more fully and faithfully. Holy God, lead us in the way we should go. Let us seek to do your will on earth as it is done in heaven. Amen.

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