If I Could Write My Life Story What Would It Say?

January 22, 2012

Philippians 2:5-13

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross! 

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. 

 

If I could write my life story what would it say?

We live life carefree. In some cultures or religions they map out the life their child will take. They drill into their children the plan they have for their lives even if it means dying for their faith. His or her story is written and if he or she dies they feel they are fulfilling the plan for their lives.

If I could write my life story what would it say?

Jewish people teach their children that they have value. They are God’s children and they instill in their child their importance and what it means to be a Jewish man or woman. Their life story is being written.

As Blacks, minorities, do we know what our life story would say? We are a people of secrecy. Things happen in families that never come out. All the secrets are part of our story that we don’t know. We see things happening in our families but are clueless because we don’t know the story.

Martin Luther King’s legacy and the lives of his children were shaped by the story of his life. He said, “I have a dream”. To some degree his dream has materialized. We can go to school and work in offices and be integrated. We can be supervisors to a rainbow of people. The dream that he had however, was not that we would destroy it. Many young people now don’t realize they are writing the story of their lives, and it’s not a good one. These life stories are detrimental to them and society.

V5 – Check out Christ's life and look at His story
No matter where you come from or who you are your story doesn’t have to be bad. Look at Christ's life, follow Him and adapt yourself to walk like Him.


V6 - Christ knew who He was and didn’t need to shout it from the roof tops. You’ve got to know who you are. There are things that have happened in our families that are shameful. We can’t dismiss it. What we can do is bring it to God. It's apart of our life story. It is what it is and impacts my life but it doesn’t have to be my future. 

V7 - When you know who you are you will determine what you will do. Don’t let anyone dictate what you can do. When you know who you are you can determine whom you will serve and whom you will help. A bondservant was one who chose to stay with his master once he/she received freedom. Christ didn’t just follow the orders of his Father. He accepted the challenge and said I will go.

V8 – Those with power always want to keep those without it oppressed. We want to be like Christ who was more powerful than us but humbled himself. Hebrews 2 says Christ became flesh, human. He humbled himself and was obedient to God even to the point of death. He had to die as a criminal but was exalted by God to the highest place. 

V9-11 - When we live our lives for God we receive our reward from God.
We need to write our story based on the life of Christ. When our teachers or parents are there we are on our best behavior. It's changes when the sub comes but we need to behave as if nothing has changed. This is what Paul tells the church; I may be gone but live as if I were still here with you.

V12 - People spend money to change their life story. Work out the issues of your life in God, with reverence to God. Let Him shape your life in spite of. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? The dump, the ghetto of Israel? Yes! A Savior. Jesus Christ the Lord. Jesus was hunted as a baby. You don’t think He knew that? That was His life story. Don’t you think He was affected when His father died and being the oldest He had to help take care of His brothers and sisters? That was His life story.

V13 – It is God who works in you, the story He has shaped for you. A great, amazing story so that you have a future and a hope (Jer 29:11). As you follow the Lord you can help change the course of someone else’s history like Dr. King did. His life story changed the life story for many individuals, nationalities and people groups. It is His will and you know it is working when you see how it touches the lives of so many others.

In 2012, let’s develop an attitude of not being ashamed of who I am and where I come from. Take on an attitude of humility and obedience to God for he does good in our lives. Statistics say that Dr. King’s children should have gone ary but I believe they knew who their daddy was and they used it to write their story; becoming lawyers, ministers, activists – for the glory of God. 

If you were to write your life story what would it say? 

 

Pastor Pete