Philippians 2: 3-7 Taking the Form of a Bond-Servant

Scripture:
Philippians 2:3-  (NASB)

3) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4) do not merely look out for your own personal interests; but also for the interests of others. 
5)Have this attitude in yourselves that was also in Christ Jesus
6)who although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped
 7)but emptied Himself taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men.


Observation:
-nothing I do should be out of selfishness or a desire to exalt myself.
-I am to regard others as more important than myself.
- it is okay to look out for my own personal interests, but I need to always bear in mind the needs of others in my pursuits.
-There is a Christlike attitude I need: that of the bond-servant to God.  Consider this: Jesus too was a bond-servant.


Application:
There it is again, that idea of being a bond-servant.  We first saw this thought in my introduction to Philippians. This time it ties into ideas about my motivations.  What is the underlying reason for doing what I do.  As I get back into writing I am actually quite concerned about my motivations.  It is not for my own honor or glory or recognition or popularity that I write.  It is my earnest prayer that within the pages of my blogs I give honest expression to my life as a follower of Jesus Christ- that within my posts I serve by sharing the Gospel message, by exalting the name of God.

There are indeed some selfish reasons for my writing, especially when it comes to the Sitting at His Feet posts- when I write I flesh out my ideas, I spend time considering what God's Word has to say to me.  If I simply read it and just get up and leave the room when I am through I do not seem to grow nearly as much as when I take time to lay out my thoughts in this form, time spent really considering what the verses are saying and what that means as I go about the rest of my days on this earth.  Tied up in that also is my hope that you will benefit from my journey, from my desire to understand what God's Word is really saying.  

If I am truly going to be like Christ then I have to lay aside those selfish ambitions.  I cannot be motivated by a "me first" attitude.  Boy, not the sort of thing you hear these days is it?  "If it feels good, do it."  No thought to whether it benefits others. We just want to feel good, we want to be happy, be blessed; but Philippians says, not at the expense of others. Before I jump into something I need to consider its benefits in this light.   How easy it is to talk myself into something that I want to do- Jeremiah 17:9 states, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?"  How many things would I have said "no" to if I had put others interests before my own- including Christ's?  How many things would I have said "yes" to with that same attitude.  Serving my own interests is often in conflict with the interests of others.  But I am good at deceiving myself.  That last line is sticking in my head this morning- Christ did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped- and I do not consider equality with Christ a thing to be grasped; but taking the form of a bond-servant Christ came in the flesh as a man, and I in this flesh take on the form of bond-servant to Him.  While I strive to be like Christ I must remember I am never equal to Him, and certainly not above Him, so if this was His choice, to be a bond-servant, then it is my choice as well.  I pray I will be more mindful of that choice I have made and live accordingly.

Grace and Peace,
Deb