From the Rev. Deacon Larry Barnhill, Reflection for 6 July 2013 Today’s Thought~ Who’s in the driver’s seat? Today’s message comes out of Philippians Chapter 2. Many of us have seen stickers, car tags, and buttons that say “God is my co-pilot”. While it is good to have God in one’s life, this saying goes against what Paul lays out in chapter 2 of his letter to the Philippians. In this chapter of Philippians, Paul stresses the importance of having a mindset similar to that of Christ. The key verses here are verses 6 & 7: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” If we relegate God to just being our co-pilot we have in essence have not only sought equality with God, but have also placed ourselves above Him, as we have in affect put ourselves upon the throne. If we have done this then we have not taken a servant’s role, nor have we humbled ourselves as Christ did. Paul hits this hard with what is written in verse three and four; “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” If we are in the pilot’s/driver’s seat then we are seeking our own selfish ambitions and we have basically out of vain conceit stated that we are better able to control things and handle things in our lives better than God. If we have supplanted God and put ourselves in the driver’s we have lost that sense of humility and we then only seek out our own interests as we ignore those of others. When we do this we no longer are seeking to have a mind and life that imitates that of Christ who is suppose to be our light, our guide, and our ultimate role model. This doesn’t mean that we have to be mindless slaves that are unable to enjoy things for ourselves. God wants to bless us and give us many wonderful things. However we must acknowledge Him for who and what He is in our lives. God wants humble, open, willing hearts to work with. When we can do this, we become blessed. Paul reminds us of that in verses 14-18. Here he lays out that we are not to go about our labors grumbling and arguing. When we do grumble and argue we lose sight of what is really important and we allow Satan to come in and put a wedge of doubt into our lives. That doubt then begins to sink in and further remove us from having a mind like Christ. Therefore as you go about things today, take the time to pause and reflect upon whether or not you are inadvertently supplanting yourself upon God’s throne. If you are then I pray that you can humble yourself, repent of your error, and let God once again be in the driver’s seat. Christ is our guide and role model, and it is His mindset that we are to imitate. While we can’t be Christ, as we are flesh and bound to sin, we are called to follow in His footsteps and follow His example. I pray that you can do so and thus know that you have run a good race and finished with honor in a manner that glorifies God and has spread His kingdom.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 10:27:08 +0000
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