“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:1-11 ESV)

This is how we, as the body of Christ, are to operate with one another. As Jesus Christ is to us, so we are to be with one another. In the same ways in which the Lord encourages (exhorts, warns, urges, comforts, helps) us, we are to do the same with one another. As he shares his heart with us and we share our hearts with him, we are to do with one another, perhaps not in all the same exact ways, in every respect, but this is what we are to be doing. We are to be caring for and ministering to and helping one another in Christ.

And we are to be loving one another, not just with human love, but with this agape love mentioned here which means to prefer what Christ prefers, and to prefer to live through Christ, and to choose his choices, and to obey them in his power. And what our Lord prefers is all that is holy, righteous, godly, upright, morally pure, honest, faithful, and obedient to him and to his word. So we will love each other with this kind of love in mind, and so we will not willfully do what we know is evil against one another. Love conquers all!

And if we are, indeed, participating in the Spirit, this means that we are cooperating with God and we are doing the things that his word commands us that we must do. We are no longer walking in deliberate and habitual sin against our Lord and against other humans, but now we are walking (in conduct, in practice) in holiness and in righteousness and in walks of obedience to our Lord. And when he speaks to our hearts, we listen, and we obey what he says for us to do when he says to do it.

And just as Jesus Christ is compassionate and sympathetic with us in our weaknesses, in our heartaches and persecutions, and in our trials and tribulations, we are to have the same kind of compassion and sympathy for one another as we face the difficulties of life. But we are not to go soft on sin. We are not to tolerate and approve of “believers in Christ” continuing in deliberate and habitual sin. But we are to exhort one another daily so that none of us will be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness (Hebrews 3:13).

When this says that we are to be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind, this is speaking of the mind and love of Jesus Christ. He is our model for how we are to treat one another. And thank the Lord, he cares enough about us to listen to us and to hear what is on our hearts and minds, and to hold us close to him, and to let us cry out our suffering to him. But I am not suggesting that we should entertain gossip nor grumbling and complaining, but we should care for one another, and not shut each other out, but make room for us to bear each other’s burdens.

For we are to do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit. We are not to be thinking just about us, and what is best for us, expecting everyone to cater to us and to meet our needs, especially if it is with disregard for them and for their needs. For we are to have equal concern for one another. And we are not to be thinking, “What’s in it for us?” when we should be thinking about how we can minister to and serve one another. For we are to be those who are humble in spirit and who are not prideful.

And we are to serve one another as Jesus Christ humbled himself and became a servant. And we are to humble ourselves as Jesus did. And we are to become obedient to the Lord to the point of death, too, first of all in us dying with him to sin daily, by the Spirit, and us dying daily to self so that we can minister to one another in the ways in which Jesus ministered to the people when he walked this earth. And ultimately to serve our Lord and one another as he did in risk of being put to death for our faith in Jesus Christ.

For Jesus Christ did not create us and place us on the earth for our own enjoyment and pleasure and self-satisfaction. He created us and he put us on this earth so that our lives will be surrendered fully to him, to his service, to doing his will, and to ministering to the people of the earth in the same ways in which he did when he lived on the earth. And a big part of what Jesus did is he told them the truth of the gospel, and that is what got him hated the most, and for that he was put to death on a cross.

But he who knew no sin became sin for us on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and that we might follow his example, and that we might obey him and his commands and now walk in his ways, and for his purpose, and under his direction. And this also for the encouragement of other Christians, and for the salvation of human lives from eternity in hell, so that they can now love and obey the Lord and follow him where he leads them. For that is why we exist, to love God and to love our fellow humans.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Gal 6:1; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Eph 6:10-20; Php 2:1-8; Col 1:9; Col 3:12-16; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]

Songs in the Night

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!