I have a question for you. What does success look like? Does it look like better cars, better house or better clothes? Better friends?
There was a television comedy in the 1980’s about a hard-working middle class family in NYC that had made it. Through their hard work, they had become wealthy and, in this wealth, moved to a better part of town and in a much better home. The theme song, as the show opened went, “we are moving on up, to the east side, in a deluxe apartment in the sky” and concluded with, “we finally got a piece of the pie”
There is nothing wrong with improving your station in life. A better place to live or even being able to hire people to clean your house is a blessing from God and not morally wrong in anyway. It can even be argued this would fall under common grace in that God provides this blessing to all regardless if they believe or not.
But rarely do we see success as “emptying”, going backwards or DEMOTING. But this is what the believer is called to do because it is what Jesus did.
Philippians 2, “Have this mind,” means think like this. View life this way. “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ. That although he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to hold on to but made himself nothing.” (GR: Kenosis – to empty)
This passage is on the incarnation of Christ and it is a very rich section of Scripture. Too much for just 2 to 3 minutes. Maybe we will revisit this in December during Advent.
Today, the focus is on serving. The writer of Philippians here is not ONLY documenting that God became man but is giving us an example of how we are to replicate it. Simply stated, being humble. Serving. Have this MIND in you. Think this way.
While it is not wrong for a believer to improve their lot and enjoy blessings God gives, it is worth noting that we should always serve and have the heart of serving. Because Jesus did.
SDG