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Monday, August 3, 2020
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” —Philippians 2:3-4
At Redeemer, we often talk about our belief that following Jesus is a better way to live. Following Jesus is more than following a set of rules or living by a set of principles. Jesus is alive, right now, so to follow him is a relationship with a living person.
But that doesn’t mean that words and principles don’t matter. As with all healthy and thriving relationships, following Jesus wholeheartedly means living a certain way. It’s this way of living that we believe is better than any non-Jesus way of life.
In Paul’s letters to Christian believers in Philippi, he laid out what this life looks like. Paul said that followers of Jesus are to have the same mindset that Jesus had when he gave his divine life for our sake. In one of the Daily Text verses for today, Paul laid out one way to think about this. To live the Jesus way means to act as if other people are more important to you than you are to yourself.
Paul did not mean that people are not all equal in value in God’s eyes. It’s clear that we are. But what he said is that, paradoxically, the way to a good life lies not in trying to thrive as an individual but rather in concerning yourself with the well-being of other people. What Paul was talking about is the path of mutual submission. The way life works best is when I put your good ahead of my own and you put my good ahead of your own.
The mutuality is critical. I can only really live freely and generously, paying attention to other people’s good while ignoring my own, if I know that other people are looking out for me. The breakdown of this arrangement is usually what we’re talking about when we talk about “sin.” And the fulfillment and realization of this arrangement is what we’re talking about when we talk about “heaven.” This is how God designed human life to be.
This is such a world-changing concept. Can you imagine if we actually did this? Can you imagine voting without giving a second thought to your own interests but instead concerning yourself only with the welfare of others? Can you imagine budgeting based on an others-first principle? Can you picture what your calendar would look like if we could really live like this?
The Jesus way in this broken world is to keep taking steps toward this reality. Sometimes there will be a breakdown. Sometimes we’ll get self-centered. Sometimes we’ll be taken advantage of because no one was watching our backs. Sometimes we’ll be tempted to give up because this whole system just seems hopelessly naive.
But other ways of living don’t work. This way, this way of the beloved community, of the kingdom of heaven, this Jesus way, works.
Friday, July 31, 2020
Do your very best to present yourself before God as one who has passed the test — a workman who has no need to be ashamed, who can carve out a straight path for the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15 (NTE)
My mom is a skilled pianist. She’s the kind of musician who makes you regret quitting your piano lessons as a kid. She’s an amazing sight-reader, too, so just about everything she plays sounds good on the first try. Of course, she wasn’t born that way. She developed the skill over a lifetime. She’s told me what it was like to learn. She told me that a few years into learning, it stopped being fun before it started being fun again, and that took powering through. She told me how her dad (also a musician) said you only really know a piece when you can play it three times in a row without a mistake. My mom is a skilled pianist not by chance, but because she spent years fine-tuning her gift, working hard at it, making sacrifices for it, and dedicating time to it.
In today’s passage, Paul exhorts Timothy, a young church leader, to dedicate himself fully to the work God has called him to. Paul says “do your very best…[be] a workman who has no need to be ashamed.” Paul is inviting Timothy to develop skill and proficiency for what he’s called to do. Paul is challenging him to give his all in following Christ so he can share the gospel with confidence.
This is the kind of development we’re called to as Jesus’ disciples. Sometimes it’s fun; sometimes it stops being fun and we stick with it. Sometimes it comes easily; sometimes it takes massive perseverance. We do not become better disciples by chance, but because we spend years fine-tuning our gifts, working hard, making sacrifices, and dedicating our time to this pursuit of following Jesus wholeheartedly. We become better disciples because we rely more and more on God, who is always with us, challenging us, encouraging us, empowering us. The more we commit ourselves to living this way, the more confidently we will live this way.
My mom has been playing the piano for 64 years, and she still practices almost every day. I suspect this is for three reasons: first, even as a highly skilled musician, she knows she’s never finished growing. Second, because she’s gotten really good at this skill, using it brings her joy. Third, because she’s gotten really good at this skill, using it brings others joy. Those three things are true as we practice a life of discipleship, too. May you give your all in following Christ; may your growth beget confidence, and your confidence beget joy; and may you share the gift of Jesus’ love so as to bring joy to others, as well.
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Today’s devotion is written by Deacon Karen Katamay.
“We brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” – 1 Timothy 6:7-8
“He who has the most toys, wins.” I am not sure who first said this, but this is a quote I have heard often. Yet what I have found in my own life as I have accumulated things over the years, as did my mother and grandmothers before me, is that the beloved china and collectibles are not treasured in the same way by future generations. I always thought I could pass on some of these things to my children, but so far my family has shown no interest in these things and I will just end up leaving them things that they will have to figure out how to get rid of once I am gone.
Like the Bible verse in 1 Timothy says, we bring nothing into this world with us and we will take nothing out of it when we die. Yet why do we feel we have to fill up our lives in between with things we don’t really need? Shouldn’t we just be happy with “our daily bread”, or in other words, our food, clothing, shelter and basic needs? Granted, there are some things I own that make it easier to do what I need to do, such as my computer to help me compose this devotion and participate in our virtual worship services. And having a car makes it easier for me to get around, and there are other things as well that are useful to me. Still, there is a lot I own that is purely decorative or was an impulse buy at one time. And I can’t say that all of it has brought me contentment, and maybe even left me with less understanding and empathy for those who have less.
The text for this day should probably have also included the verse right before verses 7 and 8. Verse 6 says this: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” In other words, our relationship with Christ brings us a contentment that nothing we own can ever give to us. And that’s the true contentment we should all be seeking in our lives. Amen.
