BE LIKE CHRIST
Philippians 2:1-5 NLT
1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
It was Gatorade that ran a successful commercial campaign in the 90s. Be like Mike. It had a catchy song and was considered to be an iconic commercial. The Mike was Michael Jordan, one of the most recognizable figures in sports and worldwide. The song and theme of the commercial was that you could be like Michael Jordan if you drank Gatorade. It did not particularly work for me and millions of other people, but it sold a lot of Gatorade.
In our verses for today, Paul is encouraging the church at Philippi to be like Christ. Verses one through four give us what a Christlike attitude looks like. And verse five drives home the point, encouraging believers to adopt the same attitude that Jesus had. The rest of the chapter continues to elaborate on a Christlike attitude, but for today, we’ll look at the first four verses. These verses are enough to keep us plenty occupied.
Paul starts with the benefits of our relationship with the Lord. There is encouragement in belonging to Him. And there is comfort in His love. Those are big blessings we must not overlook. We are encouraged by our relationship with the Lord and the changes He is working in us by His Holy Spirit. And we take comfort that we are now loved regardless of our past, social status, or any other factor. Knowing we are loved is the doorway to the greatest sense of security.
Because there is now a fellowship, a sharing together spiritually, with the other believers, Paul begins to exhort the church to live in compassion and be tender-hearted toward each other. There is a major difference in behavior when compassion and tender-heartedness are prevalent. And so, with all these things present, Paul encourages the church to be in unity. To live in agreement with one another. To be focused on the same goal with one mind and purpose. It is evident that Paul was addressing the division that had risen in the Philippian church. He is now appealing to their higher Christlike nature to put all that aside and treat each other well.
Then Paul becomes very direct, and the NLT translates his words short and to the point. Don’t be selfish. Don’t try to impress. Be humble. Paul then defines an aspect of humility as thinking of others as better than yourselves. Notice Paul did not say that others were better. This is not an exercise in self-deprecation but rather a mindset of treating others as more important. Then Paul tells them not to look out for their own interests. Don’t just think about what you want but look out for the interests of others. That’s quite a list. Quite a Christlike list.
APPLICATION
When we think of being more like Jesus, we need a framework to grasp that concept. In our verses for today, we see a Christlike template. Becoming more like Christ will look different as God works through our unique personalities. But the foundational principles of unity, compassion, and humility by considering others more important will be the same.
Drinking Gatorade did not create a nation of Michael Jordan athletes. Practicing the principles in our verses today will create more Christlikeness in us.
PRAYER
Dear Father, I desire to be more like Jesus in my everyday life. Thank You for continuing to have faith in me and work in me.