One In The Spirit And In Purpose

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,

if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Holy Spirit,

if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete

by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Philippians 2:1 (NIV)



Paul writes to the Philippians, he encourages them to look into their hearts and consider their stance with Christ. He points out that they should receive a building up, an empowerment, from being in His presence. The apostle then spells out what he means by the Lord strengthening them.



Did they receive “any comfort from his love”? Do we receive any consolation from His grace? If any of us have gone through the loss of a loved one, we have benefited from that great love He has for us.

For those of us who have dealt with depression, Jesus has stayed by our side and comforted us. Maybe Christ guided us through a deep valley by showing us how He helped in times past. He could have sent someone to us who had experienced similar feelings or circumstances.

What about “fellowship with the Spirit”? Jesus promised us a comforter to help us through this life after He ascended into heaven. By doing this for us, He remains close to us, especially when we face difficulties or even events we don’t understand in our lives.

Were the Philippians filled with “tenderness and compassion”? Do we possess these traits? Do we respond to people who hurt or those in grief as though we are led by the Lord or by the thoughts of society? As I write this, a thought comes to mind. It goes like this, “Always use tender words because sometime (we) might have to eat them.”

The word compassion comes from two Latin words, cum-meaning ‘with’ and pathos-meaning ‘suffering’. Have we needed to ‘suffer with’ a friend recently? When we display compassion, sometimes it’s as simple as listening to another person as they talk. Other times, we sit with them in a hospital. Or we carry in food to their home.

Servant Called of God

Read Isaiah 49:1-7



“‘And He said to me, ‘You are my servant, O Israel,

In whom I will be glorified.’” “It is too small a thing that

You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob,

And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also

give you as a light to the Gentiles, that you shall be my salvation

to the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 49:3, 6 (NKJV)


God called the Servant to come to earth to instruct the people who had strayed from His ways. He called this servant from the womb. It was His plan to call His son to the task of dealing with the world and its sin. The Lord created the Servant to speak truthfully, to call things as they are.

The servant was disliked by the nation Israel. The prophet Isaiah received the same treatment. (Isaiah 30:9-11) Jeremiah also received scorn and ridicule. (Jeremiah 26:7-8) God’s own Son, Jesus, received the cruelest rejection from the people He came to help.

God promises He will display his splendor in this servant. He will make the Servant a light for the Gentiles to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

Our Lord chose to have Jesus bring the light of salvation’s message to the world. He also displays His glory through the Son. “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he looks at the one who sent me. ” John 12:44-45

How much did the Pharisees dislike Jesus? As we read our Bibles we see they watched Him for the slightest transgression of the Mosaic Law. Christ’s walking through a field and pinching off some heads of grain on the Sabbath was an illegal act in the eyes of the Pharisees. Jesus’ followers were hungry and he did what he felt was right. The teachers and the lawyers tried to trip our Lord several times as he healed people. They waited to see how He would answer questions because either way he responded, they were ready to deal with Him.

Dear God:

We thank You for sending us Your son to teach us of Your ways. We thank You for loving us so much that You did this for us. Please allow us to learn of You and Your Son, the Servant who took all our sins upon Himself in order that we may one day live with You in heaven. We give You the glory. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN

Views of the Servant

“He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:2 (NIV)


In this verse we see two views of God’s servant. The Father saw the servant as a vital life-giving organism that would mature and produce fruit, bearing witness to the Father. God also compares Him to a root, a strong rhizome to give support as well as nourishment to those for whom the Servant will work.

Man viewed the Servant as not special in looks, nor majestic. He had nothing attractive to draw people to Him. Whenever I read this passage, a metal picture of Jesus as the soldiers led him down the Via Dolorosa as depicted in The Passion of the Christ.



“He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before his shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7 (NIV)



Here, we see the world’s treatment of the Servant. The people of Jerusalem turned into an ugly mob, they taunted Jesus. They spat upon Him. He bore a horrible beating. The soldiers gambled to see who would get his robe. They beat Jesus to the point that He couldn’t stand up under the cross arm of a cross. But He never said one word in complaint. Jesus willingly gave up His life for you and me. The crowd treated Jesus as nastily as anyone can treat another human being and yet He later asked the Father to forgive them.

One of the most meaningful passages of scripture to me is where Jesus prays at Gethsemane. He knows what lay ahead for him. He asks God to not let it happen, “If at all possible, take this cup from my mouth.” Yet Jesus then gives Himself over to His Father’s will. Nevertheless, not what I will but what You will.” Mark 14:32 (NKJV)


In this passage the Son turns His over to the Father and willingly sacrifices His life for you and me. No one else in this world has done such a thing like this for us. The people of Jerusalem chose to take Jesus’ life in the most horrible way know to man at that time. And yet, He didn’t complain. He was silent before His accusers. This behavior was not according to human nature.


Dear Jesus:

We sometimes forget how you chose to go to Calvary for us. We neglect to focus on the fact that you didn’t defend yourself before the powers of the nation. Please draw us closer during this Lenten season and help us to learn more of You. We will give You the praise. AMEN

Personal Check-up



Bing Photo




“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith;


test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you


-unless of course you fail the test?”


2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)



Paul speaks very frankly here. He advises the believers at Corinth and to us to get a ‘spiritual check-up.’ As I heard this passage read during an Ash Wednesday service, I felt convicted of ignoring the basics of the faith.

The following questions came to me then next day as I sat down to meditate on Paul’s words.

Do we notice Christ in our lives?

Do we notice Him in the lives of those around us?

Do we spend time with Him through prayer and Bible reading?

Do we speak kindly to those around us?

Do we show concern for others when they have difficult circumstances facing them?

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to bring a Sunday message to the church we were in. It was a day where most of the congregation would be at Family Camp. The pastor was required to be there, with one exception to the rule.

I found myself spending the whole week before looking at everything I did or said to anyone. Imagine if you will, a person studying his or her actions by looking through a microscope. That’s how I viewed my deeds.

A few days prior to that Sunday, a man in our church entered heaven. Most of those who planned to go to the campground remained in town in order to attend the calling for the gentleman who had passed. Because of the change in people’s plans, I spoke to the backbone of the church, those who made the decisions, who paid the bills, and kept the doors opened. As I reflect on this time, I realize God was allowing me to go through that time of introspection in order to prepare me.

Can we forget to do the basic steps of our faith? I believe we can. We can also use certain seasons of the church year to intentionally spend more time in Bible study and prayer.

A friend of mine is using the season of Lent to memorize scripture-a verse a day. Some devotional magazines publish special Lenten Bible studies to help those who seek a closer walk with God. A few years ago, a Sunday school class decided to perform positive acts of kindness to people who were going through tough times. I am trying to send cards and notes to people who were ill or had illness in their family.



As believers, we want to honor Christ in what we do.

A Servant’s Mission




“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,

My Elect One in whom My soul delights

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

He will not cry out nor raise His voice,

Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

And smoking flax He will not quench;

He will bring forth justice for truth.

He will not fail or be discouraged,

Till He has established justice in the earth;

And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

Isaiah 42:1-4 (NKJV)



Almost every faith-based ministry, church, or community service organization I have heard of has a mission statement. I believe this practice tells the public about the objectives of each organization. All these groups have a goal as well as a mission.

God has a mission for His servant. Isaiah tells us the servant’s mission is three-fold. This mission is closely related to a goal. His servant is commissioned to do the following:



He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles: God was the creator of ALL people, Jew and Gentile alike. Historically, the Israelites were Pharisaical in the attitude. They were haughty when dealing with the Samaritans. He wanted everyone to love and adore Him, no matter what their circumstance. Jesus chose to fellowship with sinners, the down and out, and the misfits. One of the special people I look forward to seeing when I get to heaven is a man who came to our church because he had a need; he was ill and also homeless.



He will bring forth justice for truth. I have heard it said that God’s justice is like the two-edged sword. He approaches all interpersonal controversies with an open ear and sheds the light of justice on different issues involved in each matter.

Till He has established justice in the earth: God desires to establish equitable outcomes for issues that we face on this earth. This desire is a work in progress. Those of us who have lived very long know that sometimes justice is not served in certain instances. Several years ago, a friend of mine had a daughter who was victimized. The person got acquitted. When I heard this, I was upset. My friend said words to the effect that justice would come in the next life. This was a Christian lady who believed that God would never leave her nor forsake her. I learned something about her faith that day.

A Servant’s Relationship with God

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,

My Elect One in whom My soul delights!

I have put My Spirit upon Him. Isaiah 42:1 (NKJV)



In the above verse, we read of God directing our attention to His Servant. We have to understand what Isaiah means by the term ‘servant’. The definition in my Bible dictionary/Concordance* tells us: servant-one who responds to the needs of others.

Behold! The Lord God speaks through Isaiah to draw our attention to His Servant, Jesus. God tells us this is important and we need to pay attention. A small child sees something that enchants him. He screams, “Looky!” As our son grew up, if I wanted to make a point to our son, I’d start our by saying, “Look.”

My Servant: This one who responds to others’ needs belongs to God. He works for God as he carries out His earthly tasks. In the United States we have people who work for the various levels of government; the government calls them Civil Servants. When we eat in restaurants, those that wait on us are servers.

Whom I uphold: God stands behind His servant and gives approval of the servant’s actions. The servant takes His direction from the Father. We see people who stand behind their children or their friends when there is strife in their lives.

My soul delights: God finds joy in His Servant. This Servant honors God. Did you ever hear a small child giggle in response to a knock-knock joke? The boy or girl finds joy in hearing the silliness of the play on words.

My Spirit upon Him: God places his inner part of Himself, his persona, into The Servant. Do you find yourself saying something just like one of your parents? When I have done this, I chuckle and think to myself, “I have become my mother.” I also have had the experience of “becoming my father.” My goal in my Christian walk is to say things that God would say. He did this with Jesus. Christ told the disciples, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father.” (John 6:46, NIV)







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* Guideposts Family Concordance © 1982

A Servant’s Character

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,

My Elect One in whom My soul delights

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

He will not cry out nor raise His voice,

Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

And smoking flax He will not quench;

He will bring forth justice for truth.

He will not fail or be discouraged,

Till He has established justice in the earth;

And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

Isaiah 42:1-4 (NKJV)



Several years ago, I was told I had a servant’s heart. I heard this from different people. When one person told me this, I didn’t know how to take it. How can we define a servant’s heart? When God spoke to Isaiah, he heard some benchmarks that apply to Jesus Christ and to God’s servants in today’s world. These are what I gleaned from studying this passage.



I have put My Spirit upon Him: The servant has God’s inner qualities. Our pastor tells the story of visiting a preschool class. At the end of his presentation, a little boy asked him, “Are you Jesus?” When we model Christ like qualities, we serve God in ways that reveal His love for others.



He will not cry out nor raise His voice, The servant does not draw attention to himself. He works for God. When God put His Spirit into the servant, the Father’s spirit permeates that servant. The servant has control of himself or herself.

Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. The servant is not boisterous. He doesn’t retaliate in kind to upheaval. Jesus usually always spoke in gentle tones. Present day servants of God need to remember to approach as many situations as they can with a gentle voice. It says in Proverbs that “A gentle answer turns away wrath. . . .” (Proverbs 15:1)

A bruised reed He will not break. The servant of God is gentle. Jesus did not chide the woman who reached out and touched His garment. He didn’t mock the woman who was seemingly caught in adultery. Today’s servants of God attempt to apply Jesus’ example to their responses when they are faced with uncomfortable circumstances.

He will not fail or be discouraged. God’s servant will be certain of his path in life. Jesus knew he had to go to Jerusalem and He knew what awaited Him there. Once He allowed God to have His way, Jesus was assured of what had to transpire.