Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil. 2:3-11
Attitude is everything. I heard one person say “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.” Another said, “You can’t control anything in life except that attitude you have about it.” The Bible says that God looks at the thoughts and intentions of the heart (1 Sam 16:7) and that the Word of God judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb
4:12). If that is the case, then our attitude is huge.
Let’s face it…life can be very hard. There are times when we feel like giving up and giving in. That’s why Paul reminds us to adopt the attitude of the one who adopted us. He says your attitude should be “the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
Jesus didn’t demand his rights…he demonstrated his sense of responsibility. He knew why He was sent (Is. 61:1-3) and to whom He was sent (Luke 19:10, Mt. 11:28-30). He didn’t come to be served, but to serve and to give (Mark 10:45). His attitude was humble, His posture was obedient and His ambition was pure. He knew that there was more at stake than what anyone else thought in the moment, and He willingly (Lk. 22:42) and joyfully (Heb. 12:2) endured hardship, humiliation and shame to finish the work God gave him to do (John 17:4). This attitude glorified God and the response of the Father was to exalt Jesus. He lifted Him up and gave Him a great name.
Jesus modeled humble, obedient generosity. No sacrifice was too great to accomplish the work of God. The Bible says that we are being conformed into His image (Rom 8:29) and to follow in His footsteps. The night before he died, Jesus told his disciples “I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15.
The life of giving has Christ as its model. Giving begins with the recognition that there is something bigger going on in this world than me and that God has positioned me to accomplish His purposes in this world. The one who follows in the footsteps of Jesus will not demand rights but looks at responsibilities. He will be others-focused (Phil 2:4) and give willingly, joyfully and sacrificially. True followers of Christ, like Christ himself, strive to be humble from the beginning and obedient to the end. They choose to have the attitude of Christ in order to develop the character of Christ. They give freely and serve willingly. They choose to live a life of faith that surrenders, trusts and seeks Him, knowing that God is the one who rewards (Heb. 11:6) and exalts. The Bible says that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble and at just the right time He lifts them up (1 Peter5:5-6) and gives them great names.
We have been given a great name of “Christ-ian”. It means “follower of Christ”. No one can follow Christ and remain selfish. The believer’s life cannot be filled with pride, greed and selfish ambition. We must live for something bigger than ourselves. We should give and serve with a humble attitude, an obedient posture and a pure ambition. Those who bear the name of Christ should bear the attitude of Christ.
Generosity Challenge – The next time you go out to eat change your tip – 1) if you go to a restaurant that doesn’t receive tips, give a tip to the person cleaning tables. 2) if they do receive tips, double your tip (or double the bill as a tip!) Watch their reactions and thank God for the ability to do so!
Sun Valley Church, Used by Permission
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