“You boys get along.” Our parents often left me and my three brothers at home with this admonition. Mostly, we did get along. But when we didn’t it was because somebody did not feel respected by another person. An assault on one’s pride was worse than a punch in the face. Rather than lose face, we opted to swing at somebody’s face. The ensuing altercation often ended in a pile of boys wrestling and fighting. Our dad had taught us to “scrap.” Thus, when the occasion called for it, we scrapped. Once while we were scrapping, we chipped one of my mom’s statues. Not good.
Paul wrote to the church he loved at Philippi, in part because they had sent him a gift and he wanted to thank them. Somehow, Paul had also heard about the conflict in the church. Instead of just telling the Philippians to get along, he pointed them to Jesus. Specifically, he noted that Jesus’ humility in going to the cross pointed a way forward in difficult times. Jesus humbled himself. So may we.
In our relationships, we may choose to follow the example of Christ. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we may humble ourselves. Do we believe that God can take up our cause for us? We do not have to have the last word. It turns out Jesus, exalted to the right hand of the Father is the first Word and he will have the last word. The word for today is humility. Let’s humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and trust him to lift us up in due time.
