Read: Philippians 2:1-16

In this passage, Paul exhorts the church in Philippi to put their desires beneath the needs of others and to be humble, even as Jesus humbled himself to the point of dying on a Roman cross.

In this passage, Paul exhorts the church in Philippi to put their desires beneath the needs of others and to be humble, even as Jesus humbled himself to the point of dying on a Roman cross.

When working as a team building a house, you quickly discover that there are some tasks no one wants to perform. Immediately upon arriving at the build site our team leader, Nathan, asked me to grab a paint brush and start painting side panels. He also asked my wife to paint and gave her a roller. I had a measly two-inch paint brush. Her job was to roll over the paneling and then I filled in the grooves. My patience with the task didn’t last long. My wife knows my aversion to painting and noted my frustration in having to use the tiny brush. She offered me the roller, which I quickly accepted.

My satisfaction was short-lived. I soon noticed that the family we were building the house for enthusiastically took on the most menial of tasks. Yolanda, the family mother, and her nephew Alex began helping to paint the grooves. Javier, the father, struggling with an injured arm, carried panels with one arm to the painting area. Their humble service broke me. I realized that this project wasn’t about me doing what I wanted to do. It was about giving a family a home.

Prayer:

Lord God, forgive me for putting my needs and desires above the needs of others. Help me be humble and follow you, whatever task you give me.

Author: Rob Donoho

https://woh.org/