Philippians 2:1-11

STP Devotional for the Week of 10/20/25

In Philippians 2:1-11, Paul writes about unity and servanthood. These are two of the goals we strive for at STP. In our handbook, we read that “servanthood is at the heart of all we do for Christ.” You can’t be a servant without being united in Christ.

Unity is defined as a condition of harmony or the quality or state of being made one. Paul says:

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (v. 1-3)

It’s not easy to be one and be united. Imagine a show at STP being run by all nine of our directors. Each one has been given a script, and each one has developed their own ideas for the show. Heaven help us! What would happen? Chaos, no single person to come to with questions, differences from scene to scene, etc.

Only through Christ are we able to achieve this. God created each one of us very differently. I’ve mentioned the analogy of being pieces of a puzzle before. Belief in Christ is the glue that holds each piece together so that we can present the gospel clearly and effectively onstage.

It is a very difficult thing to put aside our own wants and needs and focus on the needs of others. Paul encourages us with Christ’s example:

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (v. 4-8)

Why is it often so hard to put the needs and interests of others above your own? Do we sometimes get too busy? Does it take too much time? Servanthood takes time and effort.

Imagine Jesus called only the righteous to follow Him – those who always do good, never evil; who always think of others before themselves; who follow every law and command in the Bible. Who would have been equipped to follow Him? Each one of Christ’s disciples had a purpose and were completely relatable to everyday people like you and me. Think about Peter – always opening his mouth before engaging his brain; Luke – the doctor – who explained Christ’s coming to the Romans; Matthew – the tax collector – despised by everyone, yet Christ ate with him and wanted him to follow; even Judas served a purpose – although he betrayed our Lord, he was the practical money man. Our own Paul once persecuted Christians, but once he was converted used his knowledge as a Pharisee to help win many Jews to Christ.

So, why should we follow Christ’s example? To put the needs of others before our own doesn’t seem too difficult. It’s the lordship of our Savior, though, and the fact that we can only be good servants by following Him that makes the difference. Let’s understand the Savior we serve. Paul closes this section with:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (v. 9-11)

AT HOME:

• What does it mean to have the “same mindset as Christ Jesus?”

• How can you develop the kind of mindset that looks first to the interests of others?