Good morning. The apostle Paul did so much for so many, and he was honored and appreciated by many of those for whom he suffered in service. I don’t think that any church had a greater affection for Paul than the church at Philippi. His letter to the Philippians is a love letter and it is clear that they are dear to his heart.
In Philippians 2:1-4 Paul asks them to do him a favor: If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. (The Message)
Boy, when Paul wants to ask a favor, he doesn’t hesitate to put the pressure on! He asks the Philippian Christians, whom he calls his pride and joy, if their faith in Christ has made any appreciable difference in their lives. Well of course it has! I am quite sure that he intended those questions of them to be considered rhetorical. However, I don’t think that the favor he asks is anything but genuine.
The favor that Paul asks of those Christian people that he loves is that they allow humility to rule in their lives. He follows these words by using the perfect example of Jesus to define what humility is like. That Jesus, 100% God in every way, gave up His place in heaven for a time to become one with us, and to obediently die for us. The King and Creator became the suffering servant to complete His mission of grace. That is humility!
Back to Paul’s favor, I believe that his request is as valid for us today as it was for those Christians in Philippi 2,000 years ago. That we should be willing to put aside our own self interests and consider, with humble Christian hearts, the needs of those around us.
Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Amen! and a wonderful reminder for all of us as we make our way together through the challenges and the joys of every day.
Vern