By Leah Currier
Today’s post is an article written by Leah Currier! Her website is called The Grace Haus, an encouraging community for Christian young women who desire a closer walk with the Lord. You can find her email community here, and her pinterest profile by clicking this link. We hope this post blesses you as you pursue thoughtfulness in your daily life!
Philippians 2:4-5 says, “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,” This passage of scripture stood out to me immensely recently.
After this, Paul went on to talk about the humility of Jesus to set aside His position in heaven, His “God attributes”. And in the beginning of Philippians 2, Paul reminds us to be encouraging, loving, fellowshipping with, and being affectionate and compassionate with fellow believers, being of the same mind and united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
And we are to regard one another as more important than ourselves.
And you know what? Jesus is the ultimate example of what it looks like to walk in humility + put others first.
He did not consider equality with God something to hold on to, something to be grasped, but instead “set aside” His God attributes, taking the form of a human.
Immortal God became mortal man— for you and for me.
I’ve been reading (re-reading for the third time!) a book called Merchant by Chuck Black. It’s book 5 of his series, The Starlore Legacy, and it’s where the character who represents Jesus in this allegory is introduced. I have found myself nearly in tears as I’ve read this and been reminded of how profound Jesus’ sacrifice was.
Jesus gave up everything so that He could come to earth, and do His part so we could be reconciled again to God. He is the perfect picture of what it looks like to treat others the way you want them to treat you (Luke 6:31).
Knowing and understanding the way God treats us completely changes how we treat others. For example…
My brother and I decided to enter the summer reading program at our library, in hopes of winning a gift basket and/or Barnes and Noble gift card. Once we knew the stakes, it was on. We were both determined to win, and worked our hardest to make sure that we got more hours (and thus a higher chance to win) than the other. And then we were reminded by our dad of the picture of sacrifice and selflessness in Philippians 2.
We both decided that if one of us won the gift card, we’d split it halfway between the two of us. This wasn’t one of things where we felt guilty, or like we were being taught a lesson. We just decided to practice selflessness, like Jesus.
You see, when we remember Jesus’s example of treating others as more important than ourselves (Philippians 2:3)— and how He gave up so much to do that— we’ll want to do it for others.
You might find your opportunity to be thoughtful and serve others through offering to get something for them so they don’t have to make an extra trip, cleaning or cooking to help them if they’re busy, or offering them something you have that they need or want.
This week, I encourage you to be looking out for opportunities to bless others, always remembering that Jesus is the perfect demonstration of what it looks like to treat others with love.
Do unto others as you’d have them do to you… and also as God has already done for you.
I’d love to connect with you and chat in the comments! What is your favorite passage of scripture that talks about Jesus’s love + selflessness? What is one way that someone has blessed you through their thoughtfulness?
Lastly, if you’d like to read some more of my articles, here are a few of my favorites…
Bio:
My name is Leah, and I’m a farm girl, auntie, graphic designer, and writer, but most importantly, I’m a Jesus follower.
My greatest desire here is that my website be a safe, Christ-centered community where young women can gather together and find + give support, prayer, and encouragement. I’m here to serve you.
We hope this article was a great encouragement! Let us know what you thought in the comments, and check out the post Grace wrote for her blog a couple weeks ago right here!
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