Philippians for Tweens - Week Four

Sorry I skipped several weeks on you! Life has been crazy! My girls are asking for more though so that is exciting to me! I do hope you are experiencing the same thing. Praying God grips our hearts so tight we cannot help but pour forth His amazing joy and love. This month may be a bit hard getting them out consistently but I will try hard. Thanks for your grace in this!
Monday
Read the following and pay close attention to the word "any" and "same" and "one".

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:1-4).

We will break this down today and tomorrow. Essentially Paul is speaking about unity and selflessness. He is making a plea with them. And the way he uses any is powerful language regarding how important this is to him.

Regarding the "any" words above.

Any-encouragement means if you have any calling in Christ...
Any-comfort means any comfort in Christ's love...
Any-participation means if you have any association with the Spirit...
Any-Affection and sympathy means if you have a heart in which mercy resides and a heart of compassion...

Basically he is making a strong and powerful persuasion. I know I do this at times when I am passionate about something. He is saying if you have gotten anything from Christ please do what he is asking next.

In verse 2. he is telling them what he desires. What is it?
It is to be in unity! Unity means to work together for a common good. Doing this without complaining or arguing.

Think About It
Have you ever made a strong plea or argument for something you really desired like Paul? When and why?

What would it be like if you had one mind with someone else? What do you think?

Why do you think unity is so important to Paul? Why would it be important in your home?

Extra Credit for you! Look up the word unity in a Bible concordance and find a verse or two about unity to memorize. Unity is actually so important that it is one of the last things Jesus prayed for right before He was arrested and taken to the cross. Ask your parent how to use a concordance if you do not know how.

TuesdayNow the question is how do we have one mind? How do we walk in unity with one another? Verses 3-4 tell us how. It is dying to our selves definitely. Look again at verses 3-4.


³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others"

In verse 3 What two things can you pull out?

Selfish Ambition can be defined as electioneering (a desire to put oneself forward). If you think about an election and the commercials that air on tv they usually are doing this very thing. Putting oneself first and many times discounting the others running. This is what we are NOT to do.

Conceit is just being prideful in your self. It is seeking glory for yourself in vain. God is the only one who should get glory.

The remedy for this kind of behavior of selfishness is to count others more significant than yourself. Think of them first. Think of their needs. Don't think of yourself in a worse way but just think of yourself less. God highly esteems you if you are in Christ so He will take care of you and your desires. Do not obsess about having your way.

Then lastly we are told to not only think of your own interests but also the interests of others. This is how to practice unity and being selfless.


Think About It
Do you ever say bad things about others to make yourself look better? This is electioneering or selfish ambition. We should not do these things. Confess this to the Lord and walk selflessly.


How often do you think of yourself? It is hard not to think of yourself because we live in this body. Humility is simply thinking of yourself less by putting others first. Practice this this week and report to your mom or dad what you are learning.

How could you think of someone elses needs today instead of just your own? Perhaps it is letting your sibling pick the game they want to play or letting them pick a show they want to watch. Try this today. Ask God to give you the heart for it. It may be painful because it is dying to your own selfishness.

WednesdayThe next three days we will discuss the verses listed below. 
^{4 "}Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:4-11).

In verse four whose interests should you look out for?
Two things should be listed here. What are they?

The answer is looking out for your needs and the needs of others. It is natural for us to look out for our own needs. We would not let ourselves starve or go without clothes. It is natural to think this way. We are very selfish because thoughts tend to focus on us. It takes practice and discipline to look out for the needs of others. God has given you a great way to practice this if you have siblings.

Then in verse five it starts to explain how you can actually do this. It is possible to consider others needs most of the time but it has to become a pattern of thinking for you.

When you look at the example of Jesus you can copy His example.You can pray He help you put others first. You can ask Him to help you think of yourself less.

Then verse six is incredible to me. Though Jesus was actually God, when He left Heaven to come to Earth entering in a womb being knit together in the secret place just like us (Psalm 139). He was clothed in skin. Become bound in human form forever for the sake of us. Though He was in human form He was still all God. Yet He chose to limit Himself to be like us. He humbled Himself so much He did not even consider Himself to be equal with the Father though He was. That is incredible humility and that is putting us first.

Think About It
How can you practice ways to put others needs first this week?

Practically how can you think of yourself less and others more?

Thursday
Starting with verse eight from the passage above how obedient can we say Jesus was?


Think about this, even to the point of an excruciating death on the cross was the extent of His obedience. That is incredible. Do you think this was easy? Do you think it was easy for Jesus?

Hebrews 12:2b states, "For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Do you know the joy that was set before Jesus was us? He had no real need to do this except to make a once and for all sacrifice for sin. No longer did anyone need to live by the sacrificial system. Jesus was the final and once for all sacrifice that made us right with God. We must believe He did this for us. That is all. 

Though it was hard He did it because of the great love He had for us. It was shameful. He was beaten, bloody, exhausted, in great pain. It was a horrible way to die. However the difference with Jesus and the others who died by crucifixion was that Jesus was innocent. Jesus never sinned. He lived the life we could not live then died for us making us right with God. That is amazing love!

Think About It
Jesus did not have to grant us salvation the way He did. He chose this way before the beginning of time as we know it. He chose an incredibly hard way giving up all He had in Heaven to be like us, then die the way He did. He knows what it is like to experience any temptation or pain that we might experience in this life. He is a high priest who can truly understand what we go through as humans. He is amazing! Take some time to just ponder this. Praise Him for this. 

Friday
Today we will end with the final section of this passage. Read verses 9-11. 
God accomplished an amazing thing by what Jesus did. Because He greatly humbled Himself in this way God will now exalt Him to the highest place. It is done. Our King sits secure on His throne. He does not fret when things are going crazy here. He knows how all things will end. Then if we are His we spend all of eternity with Him.

However for those who are not His, they will suffer forever separation from Him. Yet they will see and bow and confess that He is the true King. Every one will do this. Those in Heaven, on Earth, and under the Earth. All will be exposed and shown for what it is. They will finally see. This is all to God the Father's glory. Can you imagine this moment?

Think About ItThere will always be things raging against God in this world now. It is just part of a fallen sin filled world. Yet there will be one day that all will have to give an account. One day everyone will see rightly. What do you think about this?

Believers like Paul are persecuted all the time all around the world. Take a moment to encourage someone by this truth you learned above and pray for a missionary who is imprisoned falsely for the sake of Christ.

God could have had you born anywhere and in any country or in any situation. I am in awe that God put me in a place where speaking about Him and hearing His message is legal. I am so thankful for this. Praise God for where He placed you too and ponder how you can help others around the world in different circumstances.