Authentic Happiness

The Authentic Happiness website gives this definition of so called Authentic Happiness:

“. . .it is possible to be happier — to feel more satisfied, to be more engaged with life, find more meaning, have higher hopes, and probably even laugh and smile more, regardless of one’s circumstances.”

I would agree with this statement, for the most part. As a Christian I know what it means to have this so called authentic happiness. I would revise the quote however:

In Christ, it is possible to be happier — to feel more satisfied, to be more engaged with life, find more meaning, have higher hopes, and probably even laugh and smile more, regardless of one’s circumstances.

I have my motivation for happiness. It is Jesus Christ. What does the world think? Here is an interesting article published last May by the BBC. The article first attempted to define happiness and after coming up with no clear meaning, it went on to describe what (according to researchers) did and did not contribute to happiness. First it examines the effect of wealth on happiness:

“Standard of living has increased dramatically and happiness has increased not at all, and in some cases has diminished slightly,” said Professor Daniel Kahneman of the University of Princeton.

Nope. Wealth doesn’t bring happiness, not even from the World’s point of view. The wisest man to ever walk the earth also had some things to say about wealth in Ecclesiastes 2:9-11.

So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

It’s quite obviously not wealth. So, what did the BBC article have to say about what makes us happy?

First, family and friends are crucial - the wider and deeper the relationships with those around you the better.

The second vital ingredient is having meaning in life, a belief in something bigger than yourself - from religion, spirituality or a philosophy of life.

The third element is having goals embedded in your long term values that you’re working for, but also that you find enjoyable.

Relationships, a belief in something bigger than oneself, and having good long term goals. I think we can learn some important things about the sole purpose of man from these observations. I could have used the Word to arrive at the same conclusion, but I think it is sometimes nice to examine the fullness of the truth presented in Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

This context of this verse speaks about the failure of humanity to live up to our responsibilities and God’s just judgment in light of this irresponsibility. I think that this verse applies to every area of our lives, including human behavior. What does the Bible say about the analysis presented in this BBC article?

1 John 4:7-10

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

This passage clearly covers the first two points observed in the article. I think it is fair to assume that to love something is to find pleasure or happiness in it. I don’t know anyone who would debate this. So, here we have relationships with others that are related to a belief in a higher being. More specifically, a love for God which spills over into a love for people. The third point is discussed later in the passage.

1 John 4:17-18

By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

Because of the love that Christ has shown us, we have confidence in the future. More specifically, we don’t fear it. This confidence and hope for the future gives Christians a happiness that is bigger than our circumstances.

So what about the psychologists? They almost got it right. I think that is true with many things in modern psychology. They see the effects and call them the means. Relationships, belief in God, and hope for tomorrow are all trivial without Christ. Christ brings a happiness that results in deeper relationships, bigger faith in God and more confidence in tomorrow. He has been offering the happiness that modern psychology seeks after for thousands of years. You’d think somebody would catch on.

Reflections on the Incarnation of the Word

Last Thursday at Navigators, I heard a message that opened up my mind to a new way of thinking about the purpose of the cross. We were studying the first few verses of John, which are probably well known to even the newest believer. Here is John 1:14 :

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

I have known for a long time that this refers to the incarnation of Jesus Christ and I understood that Christ came to save the sins of the world. I also understood that everything was for His glory. What caught my attention Thursday night was a revelation of why God’s plan for the world is the way it is. God was in complete control over the fall of man. If He wanted to prevent it, He could have. If He did not prevent it, that must mean that He wanted it to happen. This is strange. I think He did it to prove Himself. There may be an unfailing love of a husband towards his wife, but it is not seen so much as when he buys her flowers for no reason or brings her breakfast in bed.

After last Thursday night, I am more convinced than ever that the reason that God did it this way was to demonstrate His attributes in the fullest way to His creation. What do I mean by this? I’ll take two attributes of God and tie them back to John 1:14. Justice and love are some of the attributes of God in the Bible. In Job 37:23 it says:

The Almighty—we cannot find him;he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate.

Without the fall God still would have been just. He would be just in not administering punishment on the innocent. That’s good. It is hard to put my mind around the implications of this. One of the reasons that God allowed humanity to sin was to show His justice. Hell is an awful reality. Sometimes I cannot comprehend why God chose to send humans to hell. After all, Lucifer and his demons would have demonstrated God’s justice plainly enough. I am not going to discuss the topic of God’s choice to save some and condemn others. I do know this. The angels (perhaps both heavenly and damned) understand the matter differently. 1 Peter 1:10-12 puts it this way:

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

The angels don’t fully understand the gospel.  Angels don’t have second chances.  One sin damns them to eternal suffering.  The blend of God’s love and justice is confusing to them.  So, if you will bear with me and take a different perspective as you read this entry.  Rejoice in the fact that God saves at all!  This brings us back to John 1:14.  Why did the Word have to be made flesh?  Once again, God’s attributes would have been the same if the Messiah had not come to live on this earth.  Humanity could have fallen like the angels without hope of return.  God blessed John with an understanding of this phenomena.  In 1 John, he talks about why believers love.  Here are verses 7 - 12 of the 1 John 4:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

I am using many excerpts from scripture in this post, but I think that God describes Himself better than I do.  In this passage we see the reason why God sent His Son into the world.  The love of God was manifest through Jesus Christ substitution for us.  He loved us so much that He spent all His wrath on Christ (this is what the word ‘propitiation means’).    This great love of God would not have been so clearly seen if we had no need for it.

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:1-3

The Son of God was already amazing before he revealed God’s attributes to humanity.  I think that’s the reason that God did it this way.  Believers will have a much more intimate relationship with God than did Adam and Eve.  We understand His character so much more.  We have seen who He is in creation as they saw.  We see the sunsets and sunrises.  We hear the gentle breeze and feel God’s works moving in our daily lives just as they saw.  But I think it was impossible for them to see how big God really is.  He really is just and loving.  He not only tells us He loves us, but He acts as the loving husband.  Only Christ did not merely make us breakfast or brings us flowers.  He laid down His life.

The Word was made flesh so that we could see God.  God allows everything that happens on this earth to happen so that we can see God.   And in seeing God more, He is glorified more.  And the cherry on top is that seeing God gives us a joy that is unmatched in this world.  I thank God for the incarnation so that we could see Him fully, truly, as He is.

God Bless.

Ski Trip

I went one a ski trip this weekend. It was awesome, so I decided to write a poem about it.

Ski Hill

The lift ascends and up the beautiful hill it goes,

Slowly. up

Faster now it goes, up and

Then at the top I slide to the edge of the seat and ski

down.

I look down the slope and plan my route

first right

then left

past the pole

around the tree.

up

At the bottom once more and up then

Up another lift to the top and up then down

I never stop to look out, only down.

Then up at the top, I look out and I see

beauty.

Beauty with which my treks up and down cannot compare.

There is so much more.

To my eyes I see how myopic my path.

And my soul.

Something to think about.

There have been many people exploited over the years and because of their revolutions we recognize the terrible things they suffered. One example is the civil rights movement. Marches on Washington . . . etc

Dead babies can’t march on Washington. Just something to think about.

Coexhuh?

Three Reasons Coexistence and Christ Don’t Work

Today I was walking down campus and I saw a huge banner (above) hanging from one of the buildings. I am not a ‘fundamentalist’ in the sense that I adopt a ‘destroy the infidels’ mentality. I am, however, a fundamentalist in the sense that I believe in the fundamental truth of the Bible and I believe the truth presented in the Bible is a timeless one. I am committed to the principles of my faith, but I do not write this entry because I want to exalt Christianity over other religions. I want to exalt Christ. This brings me to my three reasons that Coexistence is not something that Jesus does.

1. Jesus Christ is the one true God. He is God, there is no other.
2. Coexistence now means separation later.
3. Coexistence makes all foolish and none wise.

1) Jesus Christ is the one true God.

There is none other. He has been a member of the Godhead from eternity past and will reign for eternity future.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

>>John 1:1

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

>>Colossians 1:16-18

Jesus is the one and only true God, this makes Coexistence impossible. Suppose there is a kingdom ruled by a king. He is the only king of this kingdom. Some subjects of this kingdom obey this king and acknowledge him as such, but there are many who deny the kings jurisdiction. Some, having never seen the king, claim that he does not exist. Not only do they claim to have no king or a different king, but they also have different laws. The followers of the true king and the followers of the other ‘kings’ could not coexist, at least not very well. This is similar to the rule of Jesus Christ. Now there is one difference, in this world two kings exist. One is called love and truth. The other is full of deceit. All those who do not belong to the true king are followers of the later figure. What is more, these two kings are at war and the king of deceit has blinded the eyes of his followers. They are either not aware of the battle or are fighting on the wrong side. Coexistence between members of two kingdoms that are at war is impossible. Since we are in a war for light and love, however, our goal is not to defeat our fellow human beings who are on the wrong side. We also, were once like them. Our battle is not of flesh and blood, but for the glory of God and for the redemption of the lost.

2) Coexistence now means separation later

Perhaps the reader is still not convinced that coexistence is impossible. Now I make the argument that if love exists in the hearts of Christians for our unsaved counterparts, coexistence now is impossible. God is not forgiving towards sin, that is not forgiving in the way that we usually think about it. There is an infraction. There is forgiveness. Both parties are reunited. Perhaps when both parties are in the wrong this is acceptable, but God is not in the wrong. He demands obedience from all men and women on this earth. The price must be paid. And that price was paid and by it we may be healed of our illness. By His wounds we are healed. Faith through the Spirit in Christ is the only way to salvation.

It seems to me that going around accepting the deception of others in the name of ‘coexistence’ is foolish. The truth is, if we do not cause conflict in the hearts of the people now, we will not coexist with these people ever. That is, if we as Christians do not preach the gospel, the souls of these are lost. And the coexistence that lasted but a blink of an eye has cause many to fall into the pit. Forever tormented by their disobedience to the one and only King. But suppose the Gospel is not the only way. Suppose that there are others and the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths can all be pleasing to God. Then, I say, we are fools and our religion is useless.

3)Coexistence makes all fools and none wise

Were there many ways to heaven, then there is a problem. Coexistence might make sense if the revelation of God to the people was lost, made up, or if God changed His mind over and over and over again. At one time, God’s Word was manifested in the Bible, and then at another time in the Koran. Perhaps even Joseph Smith’s Book of Mormon was given by God. First, if the revelation of God was lost, then we are fools to believe what we have, because we have no knowledge whether it be true our not. Our lives would be much better spent in pleasure, even in the advancement of mankind. After all, if we have no knowledge of what God said, living a good life while enjoying it and contributing to the needs of others very well might please Him. If the revelation of God was made up then perhaps a different mindset needs to be adopted. Perhaps there is no God at all. Ah, this would also make religion foolish. Religion would become like a superstitious club, where theories on the purpose of this world were traded back an forth. Perhaps this is of advantage to tickle the intellect, but it does no good for the soul. Finally, if God is a fickle god, then religion is also foolish. Why attempt to please a god whose standard is not set in stone? Perhaps the same attitude as in the first situation might be adopted, but even this might not be good enough for God. Or perhaps He would be feeling ironic one day and let the worst of mankind into His heaven. It would not make since to do anything except what one desires in this case. In these three cases perhaps coexists could exist, but if any one of them were true, it would show the followers of these religions to be fools. Now, the Bible is the one true Word of God, so the middle situation applies to all other religions. They are made up. The same conclusion applies. Perhaps a false religions can coexist together then. But lies cannot coexist with the truth.

A last observation before I close this post. If I do not love the Muslim or the Jew or any of mankind by sharing the gospel and the love of Christ, then I am not of Christ. I am not truly a follower of Him. The reason that Christians are alienated from the people of this world is because we do not belong with them. We also, however want them to be in our midst. Worshiping the one true God. This was Jesus final command to His disciples. If we cannot follow Jesus’ final command. We should not be a part of His kingdom. Alienation is not a bad thing. It is a sad thing in that all are not united with Christ, but it is for certain not a bad thing. Alienation creates for God a unique people. He uses conflict to mature us. He sends us out into the world with a message that couldn’t be farther from the coexistence the postmodernists try to preach.

We preach the Gospel, the most foolish doctrine and largest stumbling block the world has ever known. But to those who are not of the world it is sweet. We preach the Gospel, so that in the future we can coexist. There will be coexistence between every tribe, every nation, every people, every intelligence, every stature. We will all be equal in heaven. And I’m fairly certain that we will get along together pretty well too.

I will bow before my Maker

In Campus Crusades several weeks ago, a speaker came to talk about the end times.  While doing so, he made many comparisons between the Lord of the Rings and the end times.  For example, the coming of Christ was compared to the coming of the Rohirrim at Helm’s deep.  I am in agreement with this comparison. In the end times when the hope of the saints hangs by a thread, Jesus shall right forth with His legions and rescue His Church from destruction.  There was, however, one comparison of which I was not so fond.  At the end of Return of the King, he compared the crowning of Aragorn to the crowning of Christ.  I really like that.  The idea of my King Jesus being crowned in front of a group of His royal subjects is something that brings me great joy.  When Aragorn sees Arwen and holds the woman who had given up all she had to be with her Groom-King.  I really like that.  The idea of meeting my Groom-King and giving up my life to be with Him is pretty cool (Although ours will be an eternal kingdom and not a temporal one like that of Aragorn).  Next, Aragorn comes to the hobbits.  This was the comparison that was made by the speaker.  Pretty good I think, not quite up to par with the Arwen comparison.  Pretty good as they bow the knee to Aragorn.  I will bow down to my maker as they bowed down to their king.  This comparison falls short though.  Aragorn tells the hobbits, “You bow to know one.” They rise and the rest of the company bows down to them.  I really did not like that.  I never see myself being told such a thing by my Great King.

    The image of perhaps some of the greatest men that will be in heaven.  These are the twenty four elders.  Not idly do they accept their crowns.  In fact they are the one’s who contend that the don’t deserve the rewards that are given to them.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
   to receive glory and honor and power,
   for you created all things,
   and by your will they were created
   and have their being.”

Revelations 4:11

I like that.  And the angels will sing.

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!

Revelations 5:11

And all the people will sing.

To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

Revelations 5:13

And the saints once again.

Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.

 And the angels once again.

Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!

Revelations  5:12

 You get the picture.  I look forward to kneeling down before my maker.  Attributing all the glory to the King of the Universe is truly the pinnacle of human existence.  To all the humanists, transcendentalists, atheists, secularists, and whoever else might be seeking the chief end of man I say here it is.  As an ambassador of the King of this Universe, I present you with the solution.

Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

They are synonymous.   John Piper says it this way:

Glorify God by enjoying Him forever.

Same idea.  God is the highest being.  He will never say to me “You bow to no one.” I will bow down to my Maker: the Lord of heaven and earth. 

As long as the gospel is preached . . . as long as marriage is promoted?

I guess marriage is getting trendy, because it’s green.  Wow . . . good motivation.

Here’s the article:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3946834&page=1 

The issue with sharing our faith

Even though I am not yet twenty, I have come to understand that little words in our culture have big implications. Even in Christian circles little words can reveal our hearts. If one was asked what these words meant, after careful consideration, a somewhat Biblical meaning may be arrived at, but I do not believe that prodding should be necessary to discover the meaning of words in our Christian subculture. The word that I’m talking about today is “sharing.” There is not anything intrinsically wrong with the phrases:

“I shared my faith with someone the other day.”

“I want to share the gospel with a friend of mine.”

. . .

But I think that danger arises if we adopt a mindset of “sharing” rather than “proclaiming.” Conversationalism has become a major push in our current culture. The Christian evangelical model of today is somewhat like a show and tell. Something like this:

Evangelist: Hi, I am Evangelist. I’m just going around sharing my beliefs with people. What do you believe?

Evangelee: I believe . . . (some unbiblical doctrine)

Evangelist: Well, that’s interesting. Here’s what I believe.

Let me defend my point for a moment. My point is not that asking questions and listening should not be a part of proclaiming the gospel. My point is not that the Evangelist should dominate the speaking part of Evangelism. My point IS that the evangelist MUST speak with the authority given to him by Christ Jesus. “Here’s what I believe.” IS NOT AUTHORITATIVE. What does the bible say about evangelism? I suppose that is the most important aspect of it. I do not mean to be overly critical, but I do wish for Christians today to adopt a evangelical mindset that is Biblical. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 28:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

And in Mark 16:

“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. “

First observation, it is commanded that we are to evangelize. I think this is very clear from the passage. Second, Christ says “all authority on heaven and earth has been given to me.” I do not believe that this is merely an assertion of his authority on the disciples. In saying this He essentially states “Everything that I have said is true, and ALL of my commands are authoritative.” The reason that the disciples could speak authoritatively was not because they had any authority in and of themselves, but the spoke the gospel of Christ. Christ has been given all authority, therefore His gospel is authoritative. We must ¨proclaim” our faith and not merely “share” it. We must “proclaim” our faith and not merely have a conversation about it.

There IS reasoning in proclaiming the gospel. We are to be “sly as serpents and innocent as doves.” So we must pray that the Spirit would teach us to use the authoritative scripture that applies to the specific situation of the on to whom we are proclaiming it to.

There IS listening in proclaiming the gospel. Finding out what someone believes is important to help us to use the Word of God to knock out wrong beliefs from under their feet, that God willing that would learn to believe the truth about God and in Him find supreme satisfaction.

So, what’s the essential difference between sharing and proclaiming. One is authoritative by its very nature. One might protest and ask how an unbelieving soul would come to believe if we do not slowly and gently reason with him and only using light scriptural support? It is the work of the Spirit through the Word of God that saves. Not human reason. When the pure gospel is proclaimed, God’s elect hear it and believe. Christ said it himself in John 10:

“I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

The sheep hear the Words of Christ. He is the Shepard, not us. Let us proclaim His words. His sheep will hear our voice if our voices utter Christ’s Word.

God Bless

Don’t Linger!

I was reading some more in Holiness today.  JC Ryle points out the sad case of Lot’s lingering.  His is an example of what it is like to be in the world and not of it, but have no salt or light.  I found today’s reading in Holiness especially encouraging, because it directly applied to the last verses that I read in 2 Corinthians today.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Lot was not an ambassador.  He had perhaps had the son of God become sin for Him, but Lot did not let this show in his life.  He chose the land closer to the immoral Sodom, because it was more fruitful (in the worldly sense).  He lived in the city of Sodom, but seemingly had no influence on the city (or over his family).  He was seduced by his daughters.  Lot’s salvation and his actions are hard for me to rationalize, but if the Spirit through the Bible has declared Lot righteous (2 Peter 2:7) then he most assuredly was saved.  In the same passage it states that Lot was “oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked.”  This tells me that the influence of this world drug lot down to a point where he could not shine for Christ as he was called.  If we let ourselves get surrounded by the world we will find ourselves in the same position.  We have a high calling as believers and it is evident from the case of Lot that we can come quite short of that calling while still being justified.  Once justified, always justified.  This says nothing about our sanctification.  Here is our call:

2 Peter 1:10

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will  never stumble.

Romans 12:1

I beseech your therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Galatians 5:25

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

And an exhortation from JC Ryle:

 If you are a lingerer, you must just go to Christ at once and be cured.  You must use the old remedy; you must bathe in the old fountain.  You must turn again to Christ and be healed.  The way to do a thing is to do it.  Do this at once!

God Bless!

Only walk in a manner worthy

“Only walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ . . . standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

Philippians 1:27

I was convicted while reading this passage the other day.  To  truly walk in a manner worthy of the gospel is a feat that is incomprehensible in the flesh.  Indeed, even with the Spirit of God within us, we will not be sanctified to the point of completion until we see our Saviour face to face.  The entire discourse following this statement builds on it.  The Christian life that Paul lays out in this passage seems to be built on four principles (2:1).

1.  Consolation of love
2. Fellowship of the Spirit
3. Affection
4. Compassion

Now, the third and forth point may be referring to a similar idea, but I chose to list them separately.  It is interesting to note the similarities and differences between these four and the four that build on the former.  These four are those which will make Paul’s joy “complete.”  They are as follows (2:2).

1. Being of the same mind.
2. Maintaining the same love
3. United in spirit
4. Intent on one purpose

So what is the difference?  The first may to some extent may be done alone.  There is a love that comforts those in need.  There is a fellowship with the Spirit on a personal level.  There can perhaps be an affection and compassion that act similar to love.  But there is something more with the second set.  Walking in a manner worthy does not imply walking only on a personal level, but striving together with the entire body of Christ.  To love someone because you are the one actively displaying that love for all to see is not true love.  True love is a love that strives to form a bond with brethren and work for the good of others as a body and not only as individuals.  Fellowship with the spirit of God is important to our lives.  We could not live without it, but without a deep fellowship and union with the spirits of all in the body, we are not walking in a manner worthy.  If we are not intent on one purpose (the gospel, 1:27) we are not walking in a manner worthy.  Chapter 2:3-4 sums up the preceding two verses:

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

May that truly be our lot in life!

Paul continues through chapter 2:18 on this theme and the attitude of Christ in 2:5-12 is indeed something that we should strive for.  Many more observations could be made in this passage, but I think the reader may observe them himself.

God Bless.