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The Joy of Serving, Trusting Christ with Us

Considering Others (The Joy of Being Poured Out)

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But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me. (Philippians 2:17-18)

I wish I always considered others first, but when I looked under the hood there’s still a whole lot of me going on. God has been working for a while now to pry my heartstrings free from putting my interests first. It’s taken very hard circumstances to realize life is not all about things working out nicely for me. God’s is showing me that His nearness is my good.[1] My job is to consider the needs of others and to love sacrificially.[2]

It’s a steamy summer mid-August morning. My glasses fog up as I walk out to our screened porch. Surprisingly, dried leaves already scatter the barnyard covering the scorched remains of winter rye. A hummingbird whizzes in for a drink and speeds away. As I write, a fan refreshes my face and blows across my hairless head.

All week the truths of Philippians two have rolled over and over in my heart. This chapter contradicts prevailing  entitlement sentiments which promise fulfilment and happiness from seeking what’s best for us. It calls us to a trusting, selfless attitude which frees us up to truly love others as Christ has loved us. I see four examples of this self-less love in the chapter.

Jesus demonstrated this attitude first for all of us to follow. Though He existed as God, He emptied Himself, becoming void, serving us  by dying to set us free.[3]

For a further look at Christ’s sacrifice for us, see I’m for Single Payer

Paul writes of his own desire to follow this sacrificial attitude of Christ. He says that even if his own life was being poured out as a drink offering for the Philippians, it would give him great joy.[4]

Timothy is genuinely concerned for the welfare of the Philippians, living out Christ’s desire to seek the interest of others.[5]

Epaphroditus  didn’t want the Philippians worried about his illness. He poured himself out to the point of death in service to them.[6]

I fry bacon and make BT toast (we’re out of lettuce) using a plumb ripe tomato from our friend’s garden. I drink milk out of a mug our daughter gave us, engraved with the word ‘Joy’.

I have a long way to go to follow in the steps of these four. But I’m seeing there’s freedom in selfless living. If I truly trust God has my best interest in mind, I’m less and less concerned about me and how life is working out.

I taste a savory bite of toast, slathered in mayonnaise. I feel very in the moment. I  sense  Christ’s nearness. He indwells me by His Holy Spirit. He’s closer than breathe. As I trust and abide, He’s teaching me the joy of loving others the way He’s loved me.[7]

When the world says ‘me’, ‘me’. The Lord tells us to trust Him. He’s taking care of us. We’re free to enJoy His nearness and to love others as He’s loved us.

Lord, please teach me how to begin each day trusting you have my best interest in mind, no matter what troubles I might face. Remind me of your complete, constant love. As I yield to you, show me how to love others. There’s great freedom and Joy in trusting and loving like You. 

For more on Joy in the midst of what life brings our way see The Lord is Our Portion, Our Exceeding Joy, Even When Life Crumbles.

[1] Psalm 73:28

[2] John 13:34-35

[3] Philippians 2:5-8

[4] Philippians 2:17-18

[5] Philippians 2:19-21

[6] Philippians 2:25-30

[7] John 15:9-12

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post once a week. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

The Nearness of God

Hello Silence my New Friend

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New Time Travel Novel by the Author

Fighting for Silence

On a recent trip to the beach, I was alone for two and a half hours. Letting my Waze app chart my course to avoid traffic,  I enjoyed some rural scenery and small towns I’d never seen before. I fought the urge to turn on the radio or listen to a book on Audible and chose silence instead. I’m so glad I did.

In a devotional I recently completed, I was challenged to have a couple of minutes of silence before and after my times with God. It was extremely hard at first. I kept wanting to reach for my phone to check a text, mark a to-do or research an idea which popped into my head. Over time, I realized that God’s still small voice will fill the silence, but I have to wait on Him.

The Presence of God

As I drove through the low country of South Carolina, passing through Lynchburg and Lake City, people started coming to mind. Being concerned for their well-being, I began to present them one by one before the Lord.  This connection with God’s heart gave me a sense of his nearness.

Speaking about the nearness of God, David wrote of gazing upon his beauty in the temple. Asaph wrote that the nearness of God was his good and that apart from God he had nothing. Exodus compares the presence of God to bread. In the New Testament, we read of Rushing wind and Rivers of Living water when describing the Holy Spirit, God’s presence with us.

Love

What I was experiencing, started with love. All the lies which often block the knowledge of God’s love for me were held aside so that  I knew it in deeper measures. He loved me before I was born with a  timeless love which I can not change.

Peace

There was also extreme peace, a peace rooted in the Prince of Peace and not in any present circumstance. I understood what Jesus meant when he told us he himself is our peace and that we can’t expect it from the world.

Hope

There was hope, a firm hope anchored in Christ; a realization that regardless of what the future holds on this side of the grave, I know how my story ends. An eternity of experiencing even a greater measure of God’s presence awaits me.

Joy

And joy. There was no progression in the love, peace and hope I was experiencing. An awareness of God’s nearness came upon me quickly, as the sun emerges from a cloud.  However, it seemed to me that joy was the culmination of the other three. Could I experience this kind of internal glee if I didn’t have love, peace and hope? My heart said no.

More than Feelings

As I drove past a white country church against the graying sky , it occurred to me that what I was experiencing was more than feelings. Sure I felt good.  But I could’t imagine any great circumstantial news giving me any greater joy.

Nor could I imagine really hard news stealing the reality of his love, peace, hope and joy. At least, those were my thoughts at the moment. God is love. He is peace. He is hope. And in his presence is fullness of joy.

Lasting Impressions

Looking back on my solitary ride to Georgetown, South Carolina, I’ve emerged with a couple of huge realizations.

  • I would not have experienced the presence of God at the level I did if I hadn’t  chosen silence.
  • I don’t have to be alone on a rural road to experience God’s love, peace, hope and joy.

Since my trip, I’ve had similar awareness of God’s presence in the midst of life’s conversations and activities. And he’s just as present with me right this moment as when I passed that country church.

For me, choosing times of silence has become a necessity. I must preserve and fight for times of waiting on God. If not, I tend to carry on life without him.

And that’s never a good thing.