Love Shelby
By Stan Anthony, Mayor of Shelby
Philippians 2: 1-11
As I was preparing to write today’s devotional, this passage of scripture from the second chapter of Philippians truly spoke to me because of how succinctly these words define our lives as Christians. If there is one passage of scripture that provides the answers of how we are to live, this may well be it! The values we all cherish are there… love, obedience, charity, and happiness; and the one I find most difficult, humility.
One of the most intriguing developments of the past decade or so is the proliferation of social media. It’s hard to believe not too many years ago Facebook, Twitter and Instagram never existed and now hardly a day goes by that I don’t check in to see what my old friends, family and colleagues are up to. But I must confess, if you’re like me, it’s also way too easy way to put humility aside and brag to all your “friends” where you are, what you are doing and how you’re feeling.
The writer C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less”. This passage has always been one of my favorite quotes by this famous 20th century author and poet. What I find interesting is the play on words; we are forced to pause and reflect for minute each words meaning. Simply rearranging three words helps us clearly understand what humility truly means.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr once said “Life’s most persistent and urgent questions is what are you doing for others…” So, as we complete these 14 days of love, we should remember God’s love and grace comes to us through Christ’s unselfish example of humility.
Prayer: Father, as followers of Christ, help us to always be mindful of our responsibility to love one another and think of others more than ourselves through our thoughts, deeds and actions so that we may draw closer to You. Amen