There have been numerous times in my life when I have needed encouragement, or for someone to simply remind me that I am loved. In fact, I had a moment like this the other day. Everything going on in the world really had me anxious. I knew God was in control, but I still had an unsettled spirit. Right before I went to bed, I received a message from a friend of mine from college. It had been a few years since we had talked, so it was a nice surprise to hear from her. She told me that every day she has been asking God to give her the name of someone to pray for, and that particular day it happened to be me. She then proceeded to tell me what I had meant to her and how much I had impacted her life. I don’t think she realized how much that meant to me. Her message could not have been more timely, and I knew without a doubt that God was the one who designed the interaction.

I know how greatly it impacts my life when others reach out to me in my time of need, and I want to do the same to them. I want others to find hope and peace in the middle of grief and chaos. I want others to be reminded of God’s love when they have been betrayed or feel unloved. I want others to find encouragement in God’s Word when they need a little something “extra” to get them through the day. I love being able to encourage others. I love being able to help others and remind them of how incredible God is. I love when God gives me words to speak to someone, and the impact it has on their life. It is amazing to me that God has given us, the body of believers, to physically be a representation of His love. And one of the best ways we can achieve this is through encouraging one another.

I think this current season is the best opportunity we have been given to encourage one another. The world we are living in is a very strange place to be living right now. There are so many unknowns. Our normal lives have been shifted, and we can’t gather together with our friends, families, Connect Groups, or as a church body. But we can still encourage each other. In fact, I think there are so many ways we can reach out to show love and support to each other during this very confusing time. Ask God to lay someone on your heart daily, and take time to reach out to them and pray for them. Text funny memes and texts to your friends. Send Bible verses or other encouraging stories to your Connect Groups. Order food and have it sent to shut-ins or families who are struggling. Even though we can’t physically be with one another, there are so many ways we can still lift each other up and encourage each other. What a wonderful time to be the body, to lift each other up and give each other the encouragement we know everyone needs. There are many ways we can love each other, even from far away. We can remind each other of the hope we have in Jesus.

We are all walking through these uncharted waters together. In this time of disappointment and uncertainty, let’s show the world that they can still find peace and hope. Let’s be like Jesus, and use this time to build up His kingdom and to encourage one another. Even as we are stuck in our homes, we can still be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV)

Prayer:

God, this season is weird, it’s scary, it’s uncertain. But we know that You are never changing, You are moving, You are working. Help us to utilize this time to reach out to those we love, to send words of encouragement and help each other walk through this season together. God, we know, even now, we can still be your hands and feet. Give us wisdom today. Show us who you want us to reach out to. Give us the words of hope and peace they need to hear. May we walk through this season well by lifting up and encouraging one another. Use us to show the world what it really means to follow You. We ask all of this in Your name. Amen.

Scripture:

John 16:19-22 (ESV)

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

Explanation:

No one likes to be blind-sided. I think we can all say that we would desire to know disaster is about to strike, or we are about to go into battle or into a stormy season. We want to somehow be prepared for the initial blow. The disciples were the same way. They knew, based on the things Jesus was telling them, that they were about to go into a rough and rocky season. They wanted to be prepared, they wanted to know everything they could to walk through the next season. Anyone else feel the same way right now? The disciples were about to experience Christ dying on the cross for them and for all of us. These were Jesus’s best friends, His closest group of companions. Sorrow was about to overwhelm them when they experienced their teacher and beloved friend on the cross.

But what I love about Jesus is He met them there. He knew life would be rough, that it would be full of sorrow and confusion, but He gives us hope even in the middle of it. He reminds us that weeping lasts for a night, but that true joy can still be found in each new day. Just like a mother giving birth, it is painful in the process, but the moment she holds her child in her arms, it is nothing but pure joy. The same is true for each and every one of us. Even in the middle of the storm, in the middle of the chaos, in the middle of the current season we all find ourselves in, we too can still experience joy. It is a joy that is found in Jesus and in Him alone. God alone takes our weeping and turns it to rejoicing. May you find hope in this promise today.

Application:

1. How are you currently feeling about the things that are going on in the world?

2. Why can you still find joy even in this season?

3. What are some things you can do today to increase your joy?

4. How can you use your joy to encourage others?

Prayer Prompt:

God, we are living in a very crazy time. The world seems to be almost upside down. It is scary and confusing, and in all honesty, it is trying to steal our joy. But we know that we can still experience true joy in this season. May we be reminded of Your promises today, that when we walk with You and follow in obedience, You will give us joy. I am asking You to help us to be joyful always. Help us find opportunities not only to be full of joy, but to encourage and share that joy with a world that desperately needs it now. You are faithful, God, and we anticipate experiencing Your joy in the simple things today. We love You. In Christ’s name we pray, amen.

Devo Plus:

I encourage you today to look for things to bring you joy. Maybe it is a child, laughter, a text from a friend. Look for it, and I promise you will find something that brings joy to your heart today. Then I encourage you to do that for someone else. Take time to bring joy to someone you know needs it.

Also, check out these passages for a little more encouragement: Romans 15:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Romans 12:12

John 14:15-20, 25-27 (NIV)

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advo-cate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Fa-ther, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Explanation:

In this passage, we see Jesus speaking with His disciples and telling them that He is leaving, but re-assuring them they would not be alone. Jesus tells them the Father is sending an advocate (some-one who speaks on our behalf) who would be with them forever. An advocate is a counselor, com-forter, or helper. This is the Spirit of truth, who we refer to as God’s Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells inside of all believers once they put their trust and faith in Jesus (Romans 8:11). This Helper also gives us gifts from the Father that we need, such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, per-forming of miracles, prophecy, discernment, speaking and interpreting tongues (1 Corinthians 12).

Thankfully, this gift of God’s Spirit is still available to us today. The Holy Spirit speaks only truth to us, and reminds us of God’s Word. Even when we are not sure what to pray in difficult times, we can trust that God knows what we need. In a time of uncertainties, allow God’s peace to cover you. Go to the

Father first, and He promises to be with you. God’s peace is a supernatural presence in our life to reassure us not to fear when tough situations arise.

Application:

1. Was there a time when fear or worry overwhelmed your life? What would that time have looked like if you let God into that situation first?

2. What area in your life feels out of control? How can the Holy Spirit comfort you in this time?

3. Think about what you are going to do today, and ask God to have His Holy Spirit guide you throughout your day. Ask for the peace that only He can give you.

4. How should knowing that the Holy Spirit dwells inside of believers change how you interact with others?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me today when everything seems overwhelming. Give me Your peace in times when I desperately need it. Show me things I can control and allow me to rely on You when I can’t control areas in my life. Give me the wisdom and discernment I need in a world that so needs Your presence and peace. Thank you, Jesus.

Devo Plus:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which sur-passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV)

Scripture: John 14:1-6 (ESV)

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Explanation:

Jesus knew the next day He was going to be crucified, yet He took this time to console those around Him. Jesus saw the anxiety, concern, and confusion that was most likely present on the faces of the disciples when they learned Jesus was going to be leaving. He reassured them that although He was leaving them, their trust in Him was not misplaced, and they were going to be the tools God used to continue the work and teachings Jesus began while on earth. In the meantime, He would be working on preparing a new place for them.

In those days, it was customary when traveling on a long journey, one would go ahead of the others in the group to prepare a lodging place for them. Thomas expressed the disciples’ confusion, because he thought Jesus was referring to another location or city in the physical realm. Jesus explained that His preparation was for a different place, a heavenly place where they would stay at the end of their journey on earth, a place with the Father. Through His death on the cross, Jesus made a way for all of us to come to God the Father and live in the place prepared for us in heaven.

Jesus never promised the disciples (or us) they wouldn’t have trouble in this life. He did promise, however, that He would be here with us, as a source of strength during hard and troubling times. In the same manner that Jesus saw the hurt on the faces of the disciples and comforted them, He does the same for us today when we are hurting.

Application:

1. What’s troubling your heart today? Have you given it to Jesus to manage?

2. How has Jesus helped manage your anxiety in the past? Do you think it’s similar to how He comforted the disciples?

Prayer Prompt:

Spend some time in prayer today, asking God to provide comfort in the areas you may be worrying about on your own. Ask Him to help you be purposed about giving Him the things you may hold back and try to manage alone.

Devo Plus:

John 14:26-27; Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 3:4

1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:

Explanation:

When we take time to think about God’s grace, we realize that it is an incredible gift. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we have been given the best gift ever. God chose to send Jesus to die for us so we could receive forgiveness and grace. Through this grace, we receive salvation. We do not deserve this grace, there is no way to earn it. It is simply a gift given to us by the Almighty.

So, what do we do with the grace we have been given? Do we simply receive it and find ourselves grateful? Or do we do something more with it?

Like Jesus modeled to us, we extend that grace to others. The way we conduct our lives and our relationships looks dramatically different when we have received this incredible gift. We love others when it would be easier to hate. We choose to be kind when it would be easier to be unkind. We forgive, often multiple times, when it would be easier to hold onto unforgiveness and bitterness. We choose to serve others when it would easier to be self-serving. When we have received the amazing gift of grace from Jesus, we can’t keep it to ourselves. It is indeed a gift we need to share with the rest of the world.

Application:

1. What is one thing that stands out to you in this passage?

2. How does it affect you to know that the grace you have received is a gift?

3. How can you steward the gift of grace well?

Prayer Prompt:

Dear Jesus, I am so incredibly thankful for Your gift. God, thank You for sending Jesus to die for my sins so I could receive Your grace and the gift of eternal life. I recognize that the grace You have given to me is the most incredible gift I could ever receive. Help me to steward that grace well, and to share this gift with others. Help me to offer grace, forgiveness, and love to those I come in contact with. You are so good, and I can’t thank You enough for all You have done for me. In Your name I pray these things, amen.

Devo Plus:

To learn more, check out 1 Peter 4:1-11.

Luke 10:25-37 (ESV)

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Explanation:

Every exchange with Jesus is a heart exposer. Every time one of the leaders in Jerusalem asked Jesus a question, they usually got more than they bargained for: a dose of their own heart. In this exchange, Jesus was asked a question that any young person growing up in a Jewish family would have known. Loving God and loving people were the essence of the law. It was the undergirding and foundation for every regulation. But often, that foundation was buried with other statutes, loopholes, and unnecessary commands. And it is inevitable that where the human heart has a chance to rear its ugly head it, it will. For the Jews, it was defining who their neighbors were. For the Jews, enemies were not neighbors…not Romans, tax collectors, and definitely not Samaritans. Though the cause for the hatred is not fully understood, because they were technically Jewish in race, Samaritans worshiped on Mount Gerazim and only adhered to the Torah (the first five books of Hebrew Bible) instead of the Tanakh (the Torah, Prophets, and Writings…what would make up our current OT). When you think of Jews and Samaritans, think deep-seated racism.

Jesus, talking to a Jewish scholar, told this story where the enemy was not only in the story, but was the hero. Those who Israel would have touted as the religious heroes of the time (the priest and the Levite), those who should have been most compassionate, were displayed as being cold and inconsiderate. For Jesus, true love of God and of neighbor had no racial, religious, or ideological boundaries. Jesus displayed a love and compassion that saw a need and responded to it, regardless of who the person was in need. With the grace and precision that only Jesus has, He exposed the hearts of all those listening, while putting on display what it truly means to love God and love others.

Application:

1. What is one thing that stands out to you in today’s passage?

2. Take a minute, think hard and be honest. Can you identify someone (or a group of people) that you avoid?

3. How does Jesus’s story of the Good Samaritan challenge you?

4. What is one thing you can do today to show the kind of love Jesus put on display in today’s parable?

Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, loving others is hard, especially if we have had a bad experience with them, or if we are really honest, we feel we are better than them. We need Your help to love others the way You love us. Convict us, challenge us, and give us help to overcome our prejudices and care for those around us.

Devo Plus:

Read Galatians 3:28 and Acts 10:34-35.

Mark 10:35-45 (NLT)

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”

“What is your request?” he asked.

They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”

“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Explanation:

Jesus is still training the 12 disciples He selected to follow Him. It’s interesting that each of the disciples with Jesus in this story had all responded to the same invitation of Jesus, “Follow Me.” That is how they all became a group that would have a front row seat to Jesus’s life; His character, His personality, His theology, His teaching style, His manners, His family relationships, His means of travel, His food choices, His humor, His power, His discernment, His prayer life, His compassion, AND His leadership style.

But something hasn’t connected for James and John. As fast as a question can be asked, their hearts were revealed. James and John wanted honor and position. They wanted the spotlight and the visibility. They wanted attention and to be esteemed. They wanted recognition and distinction. They wanted tribute and homage. Jesus knows they have no idea of the cost of their desire. When He tells them what will be required to sit at the right hand of the Father, they flippantly commit. They declare “We are able.”

This story reminds us of the cost of leadership: honor in the kingdom of God will be through surrender and serving, not through influence. We cannot even evaluate our own place, for it is the Father who grants us our role, often with accompanying suffering that will feel like anything but honor.

Jesus concludes our passage today by breaking it down for the 12 leaders He is leaving behind. They are going to have to serve others, just as He has done, and be good with being last and uncredited. Their hearts will have to find life in putting others first, and being God’s hand extended to the world.

Application:

1. Have you ever struggled with feeling slighted or overlooked for good things you have done? How does our passage today help you regroup from that feeling? What perspective gets realigned after reading Jesus’s words…especially since He knew He had Calvary ahead?

2. Why do titles and position matter? Could it be we want stake in acknowledgment rather than service? It’s a cultural vice we get wedged in when we forget we are here to serve others instead of being served.

3. What if we collectively abolished titles and position yearning, and aspired to being “wherever there is a need, I’ll fill it” people? Can you imagine the strength of our churches and communities?

4. There are two types of people. There are “here I am” people and there are “there you are” people. Jesus was a “there you are.” Will you follow His example?

Prayer Prompt:

I once knew a beautiful old man who had served God and the local church faithfully for years. When people would ask him what he did in the church, he would call himself “putty,” filling any crack needed.

“Lord, never before has our world needed people willing to serve others like we need today. Help us have a vision for the needs of our neighborhoods, communities, workplaces, and world. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hands to do. Illuminate ways we can do practical things to help others. Work generosity in our hearts and energy in our bodies to fill the needs of those we encounter today. We ask You to create a longing to be putty in Your hands, for Your kingdom’s sake. Amen.”

Devo Plus:

For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers. (Hebrews 6:10, NLT)

Before Jesus went to the cross, He served His disciples by washing their feet (John 13:1-17). When we teach this in kids’ ministry, we remind the kids how gross the disciples’ feet really were. When the disciples walked in the streets, they would have walked with sandals in mud and dirt. Jesus wanted them to know how much He loved them and how important it was to serve others.

If Jesus washed His disciples’ feet to serve them, then it is just as important for us to serve others. We have all been given unique gifts and talents to use. This is why I love to see people serving at our church. People come in through the week to set up for Sunday service. Then on Sunday, there are parking lot people, greeters at the door, someone to help you get your kids checked in, security personnel, cleaning personnel, people serving in the coffee shop, and others helping with the media during the service. In the kids’ area, we have many different teams of people, ready to hold a baby and teach your kids about Jesus. All these teams love to serve and connect with each other. These are all perfect examples of why we serve. It takes our minds off us and puts it on others. Then God blesses us through this process. When my husband and I started serving together, we served on a team teaching 4th-6th graders. It was our favorite part of the week. Teaching, worshiping, and playing games with the leaders and kids was so much fun.

In the time we are living in right now, serving people shows Jesus to them. There are many other ways to serve people in our society, not just in our church community. Help your neighbor, friend, or family member who can’t get out. Thank the person stocking the shelves at the grocery. Smile and say hi to the person standing in line checking groceries. Write a card, send a text or email to someone you appreciate or want to encourage. Ask God to show you what He would like you to do for someone this week. Place God first, and He will show you opportunities to serve.

Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. (Romans 12:4-8 NLT)

Matthew 25:31-45 (Easy-to-Read Version, ERV)

“The Son of Man will come again with divine greatness, and all his angels will come with him. He will sit as king on his great and glorious throne. All the people of the world will be gathered before him. Then he will separate everyone into two groups. It will be like a shepherd separating his sheep from his goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the king will say to the godly people on his right, ‘Come, my Father has great blessings for you. The kingdom he promised is now yours. It has been prepared for you since the world was made. It is yours because when I was hungry, you gave me food to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I had no place to stay, you welcomed me into your home. When I was without clothes, you gave me something to wear. When I was sick, you cared for me. When I was in prison, you came to visit me.’

Then the godly people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you with no place to stay and welcome you into our home? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?’

“Then the king will answer, ‘The truth is, anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me.’

Then the king will say to the evil people on his left, ‘Get away from me. God has already decided that you will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever—the fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels. You must go away because when I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me nothing to drink. When I had no place to stay, you did not welcome me into your home. When I was without clothes, you gave me nothing to wear. When I was sick and in prison, you did not care for me.’

“Then those people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty? When did we see you without a place to stay? Or when did we see you without clothes or sick or in prison? When did we see any of this and not help you?’

“The king will answer, ‘The truth is, anything you refused to do for any of my people here, you refused to do for me.’

Explanation:

The story of the sheep and goats was one of the final teachings of Jesus while He was on earth. He explained that how we treat people in need while we are here on earth will cause us to be separated like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The goats will go to eternal punishment, while the sheep will spend eternity in heaven. The sheep, those who have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and provided drink for the thirsty, care for the sick, and shelter for the homeless, will reap an eternal reward. In many translations of scripture, these needy people are called “the least of these.” They are what we may consider today as the lowest of low in society—those we may have become conditioned to ignore while we are caught up in our daily chaos. Jesus wants us to know that this attitude—ignoring them, looking down on them, judging them for their situation—is not okay, and we are putting ourselves in a risky situation by doing so.

We are living in a dynamic and unique time right now, where many of our liberties and luxuries have been pared away from us for an unknown period time. We are forced to live simpler lives, distancing ourselves from many of the external distractions that have become our daily routine. For many of us, it is an inconvenience; for others, it is truly devastating. I believe fully that God is asking us to examine our hearts and attitudes. Those who have never been in need before are finding themselves in situations where they need resources from others to survive. Today they are our neighbors we may not know, the restaurant servers who have no income, and the elderly shut-ins with no one to care for them. They are the parents struggling to provide education for their kids now confined at home, healthcare workers working double and triple shifts tirelessly without seeing their families, and the single parent trying to balance work and childcare. The person in need, regardless of the season, may be the person who sits next to you every week in church.

Let’s take the days ahead to examine how we posture ourselves for those who are in need—whether they are “the least of these” who we have turned a blind eye to, or those who have now unexpectedly fallen into rough waters. Reach out. Be a sheep, not a goat.

Application:

1. Are there people who you see in your daily walk who are hurting or in need? What is your attitude toward them?

2. Take time today to reach out to someone who you know is suffering because of recent social constraints. Pray for them, and even with them, if you are able. Let them know you care.

3. Ask God what He wants you to see during this rare “downtime” in our society. Ask Him to use your talents in a way that lifts up those who are hurting.

Prayer Prompt:

Ask God to search your heart, and reveal any areas where you may have built callous or judgment toward those who are less fortunate than you. Ask Him to show you how you can generously give to others and be a light to those who are hurting.

Devo Plus:

Deuteronomy 15:11, Galatians 6:2, Luke 6:38, and Matthew 5:16

Philippians 2:3-8 (ESV)

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 interest, 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.

Explanation:

Reading any of the New Testament, you will quickly see that humiliation was a constant characteristic of Jesus as a man. Not humiliation in terms of being extremely embarrassed, but humiliation that caused Him not to seek honor. He didn’t demand pomp and circumstance. He was in fact God, and still laid down His heavenly kingdom and position of glory in order to take the position of the lowest of all…a servant of His creation. He emptied Himself in the most thorough way possible, completely wrung Himself out…even to the point of death.

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it, but Jesus as a man couldn’t die. He had never sinned, and so death wasn’t His wage. He had to willingly lay down His life in order for death to take it. And He lowered Himself fully, not only to death, but to the form of death that in His time was saved for the worst of the worst. And after all that, He commands us to do the same. Maybe not to literally walk to the cross, but He commands us to humble ourselves, to see others as more important than ourselves, to see and honor the value of others. To operate with the mind of Christ…deeply humble, purely sacrificial…for His glory and His kingdom, and in the service of our brothers and sisters. It is always a heart issue when it comes to Jesus. And the only way for Him to fully fill our hearts is for us to fully empty them.

Application:

1. Spend some time meditating on the fact that Jesus doesn’t just ask us to lay ourselves down in service, He sets an example and then He COMMANDS it.

2. What needs to change in your heart in order to obey Jesus’s command of dying to yourself? What are some specific things you can ask for His help with, and what are some practical steps you can take in obedience?

3. Take an honest inventory of your heart. What are some ways that you currently try to draw attention to yourself or lift yourself up? Ask the Lord, like David did in Psalm 139, to search your heart, point out any way your heart is tainted, and ask Him to lead you in His way.

Prayer Prompt:

Father, you are a good, good God. You are gracious and merciful, and Your loving kindness follows after us all our days. Thank You that You set the example of servanthood. Thank you that Your loving kindness toward us allowed You to lay down Yourself for us. We would be lost without You, and we are saved because of You. Work in our hearts. Show us the truth of our ways and lead us in Your way. Thank You that You are capable, powerful, and willing. Thank You that You are for us! In Jesus’s beautiful name, amen.

Devo Plus:

Check out some of these other scriptures that highlight Christ-like servanthood: 1 Corinthians 9:19, 1 John 3:18, 1 Peter 2:16, 1 Samuel 12:24.