“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send
Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I
have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For
everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But
you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he
has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope,
therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And
I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.”
Reread that passage
and replace Timothy’s name with your name.
Go ahead…
Are you the type of
person Paul would want to send to the Philippians? Do you have a genuine concern for others
welfare? Do you look out for the
interests of Christ instead of your interests?
Have you proven yourself in the work of the gospel? A pretty steep job description…
But one that we can
fulfill. Timothy was just a plain ole
person like you and me, so was Paul for that matter. What makes them seem so amazing is that they
allowed God to do amazing things through them.
They focused on following Jesus and doing what He called them to do –
not on what they could accomplish under their own power for their own
designs.
That is the same
recipe that creates the Billy Grahams, Louie Giglios, Tim Kellers, Mother
Teresas, and countless other “heroes” of faith.
A normal person submitted to Jesus Christ = someone God will use in a
mighty way. That can be you too…
To care for the
interests of Christ, you must care about other people. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, to
proclaim freedom to the prisoners, to bring sight to the blind, to serve, to
preach the Good News of God’s Kingdom, and to take away sin (among many others). All of these activities are “others-focused”;
if we are to be like Christ, we must consider others more important than
ourselves.
So…how much of your
time is spent caring for others? Would
your friends, coworkers, and classmates consider you someone who serves and
cares for them? Could you care for
others more than you do at present?
Jesus poured out His life for us in obedience to his Heavenly Father –
we are called to do the same.
“A good character is
the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will
remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on
hearts, not on marble.” – Charles H.
Spurgeon
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