Bible Verse of the Day Saturday October 22nd, 2022

Philippians 2:1-2 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.

Paul asks some rhetorical questions in the first verse; the answers are yes, we have encouragement from being united with Christ, we enjoy the comfort from his love, and yes, we share a common element in the Spirit. We are encouraged and comforted by the tenderness and compassion of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. We can know this encouragement and comfort through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but Christ is the encouragement and comfort. Charles Spurgeon once said: “The Holy Spirit is the physician, but Christ is the medicine.”

Luke referred to Jesus as the “consolation of Israel,” meaning comfort and support (Luke 2:25). Paul said that our comfort abounds through Christ (1 Corinthians 1:5). God is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3); there is not a plane on which we would not be comforted by God and no situation that is outside of His zone of comfort. Moreover, as our text verse of scripture points out, God is more than just comfort; he is a “comfort of love.” 

The NIV title for Philippians 2:1-11 is “Imitating Christ’s Humility.” Verses 1-2 begin the call to be of one mind in Christ and with each other. Since Christ Jesus was the supreme example of humility, being of one mind with Christ would bring about a sense of humility to our lives. To be humble means that there is a more substantial concern for the needs of others than for us, which would create the foundation for unity in the church. When Christians become one in their mindset and purposefulness, they will then be able to follow God’s will for themselves and the church as a whole. 

Paul is saying to the Philippians and all whose eyes fall on this scripture that his joy would be complete if the Philippians and, by extension, all Christians would develop these four (4) behaviors of unity. They are Like-mindedness, having the same love, being one in Spirit and of one mind.” Some contend that being “like-minded: would make us all “cookie-cutter” Christians, but this is not what Paul had in mind. The term “like-minded” would indicate an attitude; we should all be of the same attitude, not the same minds as our thoughts.

We will never reach the complete humility that was Christ Jesus in this life, but it is a goal that we should be shooting for every day of our lives. If we do this, we will get closer and closer to Christ Jesus and closer to putting the needs of others before ourselves. An acronym sums this up and is a recipe for a life filled with joy instead of defeat, depression, and discouragement.

J   Jesus First

O  Others Second

Y  Yourself Last