One in Spirit and Purpose
I have always loved the book of the Bible, Philippians. But lately, I have been on an even bigger Philippians kick trying to read and absorb the encouragement that Paul shares in this book. I don’t want to just read it, I want to live it.
Look at this verse:
Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 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.”
The chapter starts out right where we all need to begin. We need to be one with Christ, unified in our heart, our soul, our mind… in every part of who we are. Christ is the foundation, the cornerstone, the rock, the EVERYTHING. So in our unity with him, we have encouragement, purpose, and inspiration. Next it moves to what God is all about. His love. His love is powerful, strong, and passionate. It brings comfort through the security in being loved by our Father. When we share in the love of the Lord, we share in the experience. We share in the outpouring of tenderness and compassion through the bearing of the fruit of the Spirit. Through life with Christ, our joy becomes complete. We live for a greater purpose than just ourselves. The joy we have in that goes so far beyond the “happiness” of the world. So in experiencing the pure joy we gain a different perspective about the purpose of life. Christ lives in us and we live for him. We become complete in the experience we can have him with. We are not complete in and of ourselves. We have lots more room to grow, always. That is never ending. But in the moment we can experience the love of Christ and portray the fruit of the Spirit through who we are. Through this paradigm shift, we no longer act out of selfishness. We encounter the gift of selflessness of living for something beyond ourself. In the humility we learn and gain from our unity with the Lord, we put others first. We love God and love others. Through this adjustment we become the example of Jesus. We become the hands and feet so that others can see the character of the Lord. If we do not do this, we are missing out on the fullness of living with Christ and having him live through us. Live, act, and be ONE with the Lord. Be ONE in your purpose. Be One being filled with His Spirit.
When do you feel most united in the Spirit of the Lord? What makes you feel close to him?
