Humbled like Christ

We want it to be fair

There is a phrase I am going to say, that I would imagine, if I had to guess, every single one of you has used at least once in your life. But if we are being honest, you have used it way, way, way more than that. In fact, some of you may have used it this month, or this week, even today. The phrase, “It’s not fair”. And if not that phrase maybe “Why did they get to do that and I didn’t?” Or “My friends have this so why can’t I?”. Raise your hand if you have said one of these things before.

We have said these because we want things not just to be fair, we want them to be equal. If they get it, I should have it. It is all about what we deserve. And the world that you live in does not make that any easier. Because it tells you reach for whatever you want because you deserve to have it. I once saw a social media post that said that people need to get paid enough to enjoy Starbucks when they want to. Now I am not making any statement about minimum wage, but I am asking what makes us believe that we deserve a frappucino? Or that we deserve an iPhone? Or a car that we haven’t bought ourselves?

Or why do we deserve that more than someone in another country deserves to have food or clean water or access to medicine? Why do we deserve to watch Netflix more than someone else has access to electricity? Why do we deserve to play video games rather than to do our homework when someone else would jump at the opportunity to have the education you do?

These are hard hitting questions, and this may sound like another millennial telling you how to live your life. But that’s not what I am talking about. What I am talking about is what it means to follow Christ’s example in our lives.

Thinking of others

Paul here has this one long sentence at the beginning of this chapter, and his point is “if you have any of the benefits that come with being a Christian. If as a Christian you should have the mind of Christ, and loving, and compassionate, and willing to forgive....then don’t do anything for your interests, but look to how you may think of others before yourself.”

In essence what he is saying, is that if you are Christian than your life should be marked by caring for others just as much as you care for yourself. For every nice thing you do for yourself, do something nice for someone else.

Rather than living your life thinking about what the next thing is that you will do for yourself, think about what you will do for others. Rather than making everything in your life revolve around you and your wants and needs, making your life about considering other people’s wants and needs.

But he goes even further, he tells them that they shouldn’t do anything out of conceit. The word for “conceit” is a word that means “selfish delusion”. He is saying “don’t live your life thinking that you are the most important person out there or that you deserve more than someone else.” Don’t put other people down so that you can get what you want, or don’t ignore others because it will hurt your image, don’t make everything about what great things you are meant for and just leave behind everyone else.

But this is so easy to do. For me, I can have a long day at work, and I can be tired, and I can come home and see my wife and 3 kids. And Meagan will greet me and be happy to see me, and the kids will come up and give me a hug. But do you know the next thing the kids say? “Daddy, will you play with me?” And they will want to play their favorite game, the kitty cat game, for the 100th consecutive day. And if you are wondering what the kitty cat game is, it is when they are cats and they climb on me and tell me to do things. And I’m gonna be honest, I would be perfectly happy never to play that again, and I have tried to make excuses not to play it like I have to do the dishes, or I have to go to the bathroom, or I’m dead. Pretty much anything lol. But in getting ready for this lesson I have thought about how I am thinking about myself more than I am thinking about them.

Even with you all, sometimes it can be easy to think about what I think is fun, or what I want to do. In preparing I have thought about, how can I consider these students more than myself during the week?

So I want you to ask yourself this question, who in your life do you need to be thinking about more than yourself? Is it your parents? Your siblings? Your friend? Your teacher? A classmate that you don’t like? A classmate that is weird? Someone that you may hate?

But as Paul says next, it isn’t just about what you are willing to give to others, it is about what you are willing to give up?

Less than equal

Next Paul says we are to have the same attitude of Christ. So what was Christ’s attitude?

Jesus didn’t consider equality with His Father to be exploited.