2 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.

⁶ Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:1-11

Dear God, unity, unity, unity. It shows up over and over again. From Jesus. Here from Paul. We find it so hard to stay united because it’s so much easier in the moment to be torn apart from each other. In the moment, it’s so much easier to just walk away and avoid the conflict which only makes the conflict stronger. I suppose it’s one of the ways we end up on the wide path instead of the narrow one. The narrow one includes conflict resolution and working out our faith with fear and trembling. The narrow path requires that we make some specific efforts.

This goes for marriages. Families. Churches. Workplaces. Communities. States. Nations. The World. Everywhere humans are involved. And yet Paul admonishes us to be one through you. One through Jesus. One through the Holy Spirit. Veses 3 and 4 are important here: 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. I heard someone say once that the church is at its worst when it is looking out for its own rights and its at its best when its looking out for the rights of others. That goes for individuals too. If I’m looking out for my own rights then I’ll probably be looking for them at the expense of someone else. But what rights to I have, really? In this world, I am your servant. I gave up those rights when I chose the narrow path.

Father, help me to find that narrow path today. Just because I found it yesterday doesn’t mean I know where it is today. I learned yesterday about a suicide over the weekend of someone I knew. I pray for those who are mourning. I pray for their comfort. I pray that you would help this tremendous pain to count. Draw those who loved her closer to yourself. Don’t let this terrible pain be wasted. For my friends at work. They all have specific needs. Guide and help them. For my friends in general. My wife and I were talking yesterday about how many things there are to pray for. Please meet the needs I neglect in my prayers. And just really quick. I learned about a pregnancy yesterday. I think there have been problematic pregnancies in the past. Whatever the case may be, walk with this woman and her husband. Protect her body. Protect their baby. Holy Spirit, move powerfully in her and through her.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen