Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a video of the group Casting Crowns singing Broken Together reminding us that we broken Christians can live together in Christ - broken together.
Highlight Passage: Philippians 2: 4-5 [NKJV] …
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, …
… Breaking through self and living like the Savior …
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Highlight Context – Philippians 2: 1-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Oh if we could just take on the mind/attitude of Christ … perhaps we could live more as He lived.
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Reference Passage #1 - Luke 9: 23 [NKJV] …
23 Then He [Christ] said to them all (a large crowd following Jesus), … “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
… Jesus’ teaching of true discipleship.
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, David McCasland, used one of my favorite teaching passages in all of the Pauline epistles as the author’s highlight Bible reference in the ODB devotional for the day.
I would first admonish any reader here with me today to read and meditate on that convicting/challenging passage in Philippians 2. And then PLEASE take the time, assuming you’re at a computer or smart phone, to use the song link above to read the lyrics and hear the song by Casting Crowns, entitled Broken Together.
And yes, if you’ve read today’s ODB entry (see link below), you’ll note that my blog today takes a different approach than that of the ODB author. I have taken the Philippians 2 passage into a marriage context rather than a worldwide warring context, as did ODB, today. My approach asks the question, How many marriages could/would be saved if the broken, quarreling parties could/would take the same attitude as Christ took when He was surrendered to His Heavenly Father and went to the cross to save mankind?
In Phil. 2: 5, Paul, writing from imprisonment to beloved Christians, exhorted them [and us] to have the same humility and mind of Christ and to reach out to others (perhaps a spouse in a broken marriage context) and think more of the interests of the other rather than of self. How many tattered marriages, headed for divorce, could be saved if the parties could adopt the Christlike mindset of humility and live, as did our Savior, for others rather than for self?
Oh, if we could just be disciples of Christ in our marriage and live as Christ commanded His disciples to live (see Luke 9: 23), and then live as Casting Crowns sings. And if we did, we might just live … Broken Together and many, many marriages would be saved to glorify God.
Just a thought from one who had to learn that lesson long ago and applying it allowed my wife and I to celebrate our 50th anniversary just recently [see the attached image]. And we still live - every day - broken TOGETHER.
My Prayer Today: Oh, my Lord, … I pray for any reading here to learn how to adopt Your attitude of humility and seek to live - broken together. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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