Serving the Lord in Humility

Part 1 – A Family Bound Together by God
Lesson 4 – Serving the Lord in Humility

Joshua 24:15

15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

How could Joshua answer for his whole household concerning serving the Lord? How does your decision to serve God cause your family to also serve him?

In this statement, Joshua answers for not only himself, but his whole household. By declaring that he and his household would serve the Lord, he was accepting a commitment and responsibility to lead his family in their spiritual development. This meant that he would himself set the example, that he would treat his wife with love, and that he would teach his children the commandments of God. There would be times when he didn’t feel like doing any of these things, but he was willing to make the commitment and follow through. If we make a decision to serve God, we can be a tremendous influence on our family. But if we want our family to serve the Lord, we need to be willing to sacrifice to encourage them, to lead them, and to teach them by word and deed.

Philippians 2:1-8

In this section in Philippians, Paul gives us a clear formula for family success through humility. Paul was addressing these words to the church family, but the same principles apply to our own families. We will examine what Paul is teaching and then see how we can apply this to our specific situations.

1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,

Describe the four phrases Paul uses here in this verse. How would a family receive joy from each of these four areas?

Paul describes four areas which can help a family bind together. The first is consolation in Christ. We have a comfort in Christ when the whole family is united as Christians. This binds us spiritually as well as physically. We know that no matter what trials we may face as a family, we don’t face them alone – we have Christ to help us through the rough times. We also have a comfort of love. For a family to be successful, there must be a mutual love. Each member must sense that the others love them for who they are, not for what they do for the family. This sometimes requires us to tell our family members that we love them. Men seem to have more difficulty doing this than women, but it is essential that each family member knows that they are loved. The Christian family has the advantage of having a fellowship of the Spirit. We are bound together by the Holy Spirit. God has established families and when all family members are serving God, then we not only have human fellowship, but we also have the fellowship of the Holy Spirit in our midst. This fellowship of the Spirit will sometimes help us get through times when we are operating in the flesh, such as when we are angry, frustrated, or feel put down by other family members. The final area that Paul commends to us is affection and mercy. These two go hand in hand. If we have affection one for another, we will also be forgiving toward each other. We not only need to love, but we also need to overlook faults in each other. When we learn to do this, we will have a happier home life.

Scott wrote, "Any moment when we are prompted to love, we know something is moving us which is not like the force of our will, yet when the incentive moves us to act, it is our will that has to perform the act. This mixture of motive powers can never be analyzed and divided distinctly into its differing parts, because our spirit was created on purpose to be possessed by God's Spirit."

2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

List the four things Paul mentions in this verse which will bring us joy. Rate your family on each one of these four areas.

Next, Paul gives us four traits which are essential for family harmony. First he says we must be like-minded. This doesn’t mean that we always agree, but that we always support each other. Nothing is worse in a family when children learn how to play one parent against the other, or when parents can’t agree on how to raise their children or methods of discipline. We need to support each other. We may not always agree with how our spouse handled a discipline situation, but children need to know that parents support each other in their decisions. This applies to all activities of the family. What is important to one family member should be important to all. When my children were growing up, there were times when we, as a family, went to certain events, not because that’s where we all wanted to be, but because it was something important to one of the family members. Parents need to support their children, children need to understand their parents, spouses need to encourage each other in their endeavors. Next, Paul says we must have the same love. This means that we are all equally willing to sacrifice for each other. Dysfunctional families are those where one person does all the giving while others do all the taking. Our love must be mutual on all sides. There will be a lot of give and take. Third, Paul tells us we must be of one accord. This means that we are all working together toward the same purpose. We are in agreement in our support for each other. Sometimes, we will be supporting the children’s activities, other times we will be supporting one of the spouse’s activities, but all the time we must be in family accord. No one is more important than the other. Finally, Paul says we must be of one mind. This is different from being like-minded. When we are of one mind, we learn to think the same – to have the same values and the same priorities. We understand better where each family member is coming from and because of our love for one other – what is important for other family members becomes a priority with us. We understand their pains, their goals, their desires. We support each other emotionally, because we care about each other.

3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

What kind of attitude should we have toward others? How can we do this in our family situation?

This is one of the keys to family success. We are told to let nothing be done through selfish ambition. What I want becomes modified by what is best for the family. Does my ambition interfere with the happiness of my family? If so, I need to adjust my goals. When one family member insists on pursuing their own selfish desires to the exclusion of the rest of the family, disharmony will be the result. As Paul points out selfish ambition is really conceit – we feel that we are so good or so worthy that we are more important than other family members. What is the alternative that Paul gives to selfish ambition and conceit? He tells us we must have lowliness of mind. We must not consider ourselves so important. And then he says we must esteem others better than ourselves. In other words, the ambitions and goals of the other family members are more important than mine, and I want to do everything I can to encourage them to reach their potential. If all family members are doing this, then each will grow from an environment of love, caring, and support. But when one family member insists on doing their own thing, it hurts the whole family, and makes the others feel less important and less loved.

4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Should we ignore our own interests? Name some ways you look out for the interests of your family members.

We are not told to neglect our own interests. Nothing is worse in a family than when one member becomes a martyr for the "good" of the others. This is not healthy. We need to pursue our own interests, but we also need to be concerned for the interests of others. A successful family is one where each person compromises their priorities. One time we support Dad in his endeavors, the next time we support Mom, and other times we support each child and any other family member in what’s important to them. In this way, we all can grow and reach our potential. And we will all benefit from the love and support of our family.

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

Whose example should we follow? What attitudes do you need to change to have the mind of Christ?

Paul is preparing us to consider the example of Christ. Our mind should not be filled with our own selfish desires, rather it should be like the mind of Christ. If we are a true follower of Christ, it only makes sense that we will endeavor to follow Christ’s example. So what kind of pattern did Jesus give us?

6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

What do these verses teach us about humility? How can you be more like a bondservant in your family?

Christ came as a servant. He was God, and yet he was willing to humble himself and take on the form of a bondservant. We need to learn how to be a servant to our family – how to serve and minister to them. This requires humility. It may be necessary for us to adjust our opinion of ourselves and our importance. Yes, we are important, very important. But our family unit is more important. We need to humble ourselves for the good of the family. This means that we may have to be like Christ and take on the form of a bondservant. Are we willing to do that? If we love our family, I think we will want to do it.

Harris comments, "We must esteem others in lowliness of mind better than ourselves, be severe upon our own faults and charitable in our judgement of others, be quick in observing our own defects and infirmities, but ready to overlook and make favourable allowances for the defects of others."

8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

What was Christ willing to do for us? What should we be willing to do for our family? What is it that you need to sacrifice for harmony in your family?

What a powerful example Paul gives us. Christ was willing to sacrifice everything for us. He humbled himself to become a man, he allowed himself to be mocked and humiliated, and finally he was even willing to die for us. How willing are we to sacrifice for our family? Jesus is our model. He gave so much for us, can’t we give him a little in return for the sake of our family? There may be things you need to sacrifice in order to have harmony in the family. It is never easy to sacrifice, especially our pride. But remember, Jesus is our example. He was willing to give his all. Let us strive to do the same. And we will see our family as one truly bound together by God.

Footnotes:

Harris: Matthew Henry’s Commentary, vol. VI, pg. 732, MacDonald Publishing Company