“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3 ESV)
Continuing with the Celtic Vow of Friendship, let’s look at “I hold no cherished outcomes.” Why not? one might ask. Should we not have at least the cherished outcome of seeing all people saved, seeking the opportunity to speak our mind and heart about our Lord. Jeremiah wrote: “If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,’ there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”
Then again, it is not us that affect salvation. Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Salvation is the work of God. It is he alone who quickens the soul ‘dead in trespasses and sins,’ and it is he also who maintains the soul in its spiritual life.” Our responsibility is to respond to our Lord through His indwelling Spirit. We approach others without our own agenda, without a cherished outcome that we, in our flesh, might impose upon another.
We do this by maintaining a proper perspective. We: love G-d, yielding in dependence and submission; delight ourselves in Him (Ps 37:4,5); and love others, looking toward their interests (Phil 2:3) rather than only our own. This perspective yields contentment, as we no longer look to this temporal world, but seek Eternal blessings.
A sign of maintaining an Eternal perspective is Gratitude (Phil 4:11), which is being thankful for our circumstances, our possessions, and the people we encounter. We then are able to look forward (2Cor 4:18), beyond what is seen, toward the unseen. We become grounded, continuing to study The Word, developing our agility with the Sword of the Spirit. We also maintain our prayer life, and continue in fellowship with other Christians.
In all this, we live well, deny ungodliness and worldly lust, live soberly and righteously, godly in this present age as we look to the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great G-d and Savior Y’shuaJesus The Messiah. (Titus 2:12,13) We follow advice found in the Billy Graham Training Center Bible
“No matter what happens in your life, if you seek to live in G-d’s Will, He will grant you an understanding of His perspective to help you through your pain, fear, stress, suffering, or persecution.”
Finally, as we develop this proper perspective, this Eternal perspective, we begin trusting G-d, seeing and perceiving that truly He meets all our actual needs. Then we are free then to consider the needs of others, to look at others as more significant than us. We are able to be a friend and extend ourselves to others in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Y’shuaJesus.
Help us, Oh Lord, to hold not our own cherished outcomes in our relationship with You and also in our relationships with others. Grant us the talent of seeing others as more significant than ourselves, seeing other’s needs as greater than ours, and grant us a proper perspective that we might truly live well. AMEN.
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
JonahzSong 