From: "Phil Rembleski" <PHIl@rescuechurchofchrist.org>
To: "1111RESCUEMEMBERS"
Sent: Thu, Aug 31, 2023 at 5:36 AM
Subject: 8-31-23 THOUGHTS
8-31-23 THOUGHTS
An interesting but powerful thought this morning. It’s an obscure passage that we ought to use more! We will leave our judging of the world and of angels to another discussion. Simply, let's consider the American statement “I have my rights”! The “I” and “my” make it a selfish statement! It has no place in Christian thinking. The jewel in our thoughts this morning is verse 7b. The rightness in most situations is for me to not assert my rights. 1Pet 2:21 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,” 1Pet 3:9 “not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” Php 2:4 “do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Php 2:21 “For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.” We see some fundamentals for our dealing with others! We are showing God’s love to the world.
1Cor 6:1-8 Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? 4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, 6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren.
Php 2:5-8 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
My Prayer:
Take away, O God, our need to lift up the self. Remove our desire to be right, and first. Remind us that Jesus gave up all of his personal rights on the cross. May we internalize and absorb all the implications and lessons of Your love in Christ Jesus. Teach us to know that the last shall be first, and the first shall be last. Lead us to maturity, our Father.
In the name of our Savior, Amen.