Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of the group NewSong singing, … For Goodness Sake, expressing the essence of Christlikeness and how we should emulate our Lord in all we do for others first.
Highlight Passage: Philippians 2:3-4 [NKJV] …
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
… JOY = Jesus first … Others Second … You last.
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Highlight Context – Philippians 2:1-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul showing others the essence of Christlikeness - putting others first.
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Reference Passage #1 … John 13:1-17 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus demonstrates His own servanthood and humility
Reference Passage #2 … Luke 9:23 [NKJV] …
6 If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
… Discipleship defined = putting self after Jesus and others.
My Journal for Today: … Our Daily Bread author, Bill Crowder, related a story to illustrate his teaching about humility and servanthood today. He wrote: Two men sat down to review their business trip and its results. One said he thought the trip had been worthwhile because some meaningful new relationships had begun through their business contacts. The other said, “Relationships are fine, but selling is what matters most.”
Obviously they had very different agendas. It is all too easy—whether in business, family, or church—to view others from the perspective of how they can benefit us. We value them for what we can get from them, rather than focusing on how we can serve them in Jesus’s name.
In the upper room hours before Jesus would die for world, He gave a living illustration of the essence of His Messianic character by washing the feet of His Disciples (see John 13:1-17 linked above). And the Apostle Paul exhorted his fellow Christians (yes, that’s you and me) to take on Christlikeness by putting others before self [see the highlight passage linked above from Philippians 2].
Simple question from today’s ODB entry: Am I putting others before myself? You’ll have to answer that one for yourself; but for me, I’m going to go out and try to do my best to be a disciple of Christ (see Luke 9:23) … today … and everyday.
My Prayer Today: O, Heavenly Father, … Lord, help me to be like You and serve others before myself. 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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