Philippians 2 Devotional

The Lord Who Stooped Low

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.”Philippians 2:13 (BSB)

At the center of Philippians 2 is a passage about Jesus himself. Though he shared the very nature of God, he did not treat that equality as something to cling to. He made himself nothing, became a servant and a man, and humbled himself all the way to death on a cross (2:6-8). And God raised him to the highest place, so that all creation will one day bow before him and confess him as Lord (2:9-11).

Paul tells this story while urging the church toward unity, asking its members to value others above themselves (2:3-4). But he does not simply hold up Jesus as a model to copy. He goes on to say that as they work out their salvation, God himself is at work in them, giving both the desire and the power to do what pleases him (2:12-13). Timothy and Epaphroditus, who spent themselves for others, show what that looks like in ordinary life (2:19-30). The humility God asks for, he also supplies.

To think about: Whose interests could you put ahead of your own today, trusting God to give you both the desire and the strength?