“Our true purpose and fulfillment is found when personal transformation is seated within the mission of God in the world.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – November 11, 2023
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4, ESV
We live in an age of incredible conflict, with technological advances only deepening and expanding the brokenness that comes with war and conflict between nations. And while we as Christians must always seek to pledge our primary allegiance to the kingdom of God and the rule and reign of Christ, above any and all earthly powers, we can at the same time seek to honor the countless women and men who sacrificially seek to lessen the conflict and limit the loss of life and destruction that is the inevitable cost of human division.
In the United States, today is one of those days of honor, giving thanks to God for the veterans who have modeled in word and deed a life of personal sacrifice and service to a greater cause. In a time in which personal fulfillment is often lauded as the greatest pursuit of anyone’s life, veterans remind us all of another way, one in which meaning is found, not by making yourself and your happiness the center of the universe, but by finding your place as a small part of a much larger story.
For followers of Christ, this is precisely the call that is upon each of our lives as well, veteran or not. Meaning is found, not simply in the way the grace of God heals and transforms our personal lives, though of course that is a glorious part of the story. No, our true purpose and fulfillment is found when personal transformation is seated within the mission of God in the world, bringing his healing and wholeness, not only to individuals in private ways, but nothing less than the restoration and renewal of creation itself.
When we embrace this call to sacrificial service, not only is our life with God transformed, but our relationships with family, friends, and neighbors begin likewise to take on an entirely new dimension. No longer are people viewed simply for what they can do for you or how they fit into the story of life that features you at the center. No, we follow the way laid out before us by Christ, and therefore, as Paul exhorts us in Philippians 1, learn to “in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Today, let us give thanks to the Lord for the beautiful example of self-sacrifice and service that is clearly seen in the lives of veterans and seek to embrace and embody these virtues in our own lives, wherever we may be.
Prayer
Father, thank you for the example of sacrifice and service that we see in veterans across this country. May we too embrace the call to serve just as we have been served, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
Give thanks to God for the veterans in your life, and if you are able, reach out to them personally and share your appreciation for them!
Related Reading
Mark 10:42–45; Galatians 5:13–14; Colossians 3:23-24
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Hillsong Worship: Go
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