Dave's Diary

Daily Reading: Philippians 2:1-4

Philippians 2 highlights that living by the value of love involves deliberately taking my focus off myself and putting it firmly onto the needs of others. I am to lay aside my selfish ambitions of pursuing my own gain and advantage, in order to pursue the ambition of seeing other people flourish and thrive. I am to make the decision that I will treat others as though they are more valuable and more important than I am, and as though their interests and needs are a higher priority than mine.

Philippians 2 calls me to live this radical way of self-forgetfulness and other-centredness, as an overflow of my unity with Christ, my experience of His love for me, and the tenderness and compassion which the indwelling Holy Spirit produces in me. The Spirit of Christ, Who lives in me, is at work to transform me into the image of Christ, and a central aspect of that transformation is the infusion of my life and lifestyle with Christ’s own love for others.

Spirit of Christ, living a self-forgetting and other-centred life does not come naturally to my human nature, but it is one hundred percent true to Your nature. So, please form Your nature in me and transform my life and lifestyle to be truly loving in every way. Grant me a deep, personal experience of Your love for me, and then let that love overflow through me to others every day. Amen.