"Don’t look out only for your own interests" (Phil 2:1-8)

4/28/10 “One foot on the brake and one on the gas, hey! Well, there's too much traffic, I can't pass, no! So I tried my best illegal move A big black and white come and crushed my groove again! CHORUS: Go on & write me up for 125 Post my face, wanted dead or alive Take my license n' all that jive I can't drive É 55! Oh No! Uh!” I have court tomorrow I think I’ll tell this to the jury. Maybe not. The truth is probably just as bad though. Tell me if I am going to jail or not? I was driving down cypress creek road and I saw what appeared to be a bad accident ahead of me and the police were blocking Andrews blvd. I saw a police cars with their lights on before the road block thinking it was letting me know of the impending accident. Then I saw a space going up the ramp for I-95 and I went up the ramp. Then I saw 3 or 4 nice police officers about 50 yards away waving in my direction and I thought “I wonder who they are waving at”? Then once I got onto I-95 I saw that there were no cars on the highway! That’s when I realized that I went through a road block and the police were waving at me! I got real nervous and drove 40mph down the empty highway for about a minuet trying to figure out what I should do. Then I finally stopped and waited for the police to come. Did I mention I was running late for church!!?? LOL (this is true). The police finally caught up with me and in a friendly voice he said “LICENCE AND REGERSTRATION! DO YOU KNOW YOU WENT THROUGH A ROAD BLOCK!? WE WERE BLOCKING THE HIGHWAY FOR TOYS FOR TOTS.” Then he went back to his car and wrote me a ticket. It turns out that I had just committed a second degree misdemeanor! The charge is failing to follow a lawful command of an officer. There is so much application here for my life I don’t even know where to start. I’ll just pick one. Lets talk about my self-centeredness. I saw all the cop cars and the lights flashing and it never crossed my mind to pray for the person or persons who could possibility be injured seriously. All I could think of was that I was late for church ( what a great Christian I am). I was only thinking about the number 1 god in my life and the great trinity of me-myself-and-I).I am always on my mind. Lord help me to be others centered. Remind me I am not the only person on the planet and that the earth doesn’t revolve around me. Philippians 2:1-8 “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” These verses make me cry! So powerful! I am so convicted. God I know you are using this situation to point out yet another thing I need to work on. You are constantly showing me areas in my life that need refining. “I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God (Zechariah 13:9).
Thank you Jesus for the ultimate selfless sacrifice of dying on the cross and giving me your Holy Spirit. I need more of you and less of me.