• 腓立比书 2

以基督的心为心

1所以，在基督里若有任何劝勉，若有任何爱心的安慰，若有任何圣灵的团契，若有任何慈悲怜悯， 2你们就要意志相同，爱心相同，有一致的心思，一致的想法，使我的喜乐得以满足。 3凡事不可自私自利，不可贪图虚荣；只要心存谦卑，各人看别人比自己强。 4各人不要单顾自己的事，也要顾别人的事。

5你们当以基督耶稣的心为心：

6他本有上帝的形像，

却不坚持自己与上帝同等；

7反倒虚己，

取了奴仆的形像，

成为人的样式；

既有人的样子，

8就谦卑自己，

存心顺服，以至于死，

且死在十字架上。

9所以上帝把他升为至高，

又赐给他超乎万名之上的名，

10使一切在天上的、地上的和地底下的，

因耶稣的名，

众膝都要跪下，

11众口都要宣认：

耶稣基督是主，

归荣耀给父上帝。

在这世上像明光照耀

12我亲爱的，这样看来，你们向来是顺服的，不但我在你们那里，就是我现在不在你们那里的时候更是顺服的，就当恐惧战兢完成你们自己得救的事； 13因为是上帝在你们心里运行，使你们又立志又实行，为要成就他的美意。 14你们无论做什么事，都不要发怨言起争论， 15好使你们无可指责，诚实无伪，在这弯曲悖谬的世代作上帝无瑕疵的儿女。你们在这世代中要像明光照耀， 16将生命的道显明出来，使我在基督的日子得以夸耀我没有白跑，也没有徒劳。 17我以你们的信心为供献的祭物，我若被浇献在其上也是喜乐，并且与你们众人一同喜乐。 18你们也要照样喜乐，并且与我一同喜乐。

提摩太和以巴弗提

19我靠主耶稣希望很快能差提摩太去见你们，好让我知道你们的事而心里得着安慰。 20因为我没有别人与我同心，真正关怀你们的事。 21其他的人都求自己的事，并不求耶稣基督的事。 22但你们知道提摩太是经得起考验的，他与我为了福音一同服侍，待我像儿子待父亲一样。 23所以，我一看出我的事怎样了结，我希望立刻差他去， 24但我靠着主自信我不久也会去。

25然而，我想必须差以巴弗提到你们那里去。他是我的弟兄、同工和战友，是你们差遣来供应我需要的。 26他很想念你们众人，并且极其难过，因为你们听见他病了。 27他真的生病了，几乎要死。然而上帝怜悯他，不但怜悯他，也怜悯我，免得我忧上加忧。 28所以，我更要尽快送他回去，好让你们再见到他而喜乐，我也可以减少忧愁。 29故此，你们要在主里欢欢喜喜地接待他，而且要尊重这样的人， 30因他为做基督的工作不顾性命，几乎至死，为要补足你们供应我不够的地方。

昨天我们阅读了腓立比书第1章，探讨了保罗如何运用他在监狱被隔离的时间来“叫福音兴旺”。那么我们应该如何运用目前这段相对隔离的时间来传福音呢？一个方法就是遵循今天要探讨的保罗的吩咐：“各人看别人比自己强。各人不要单顾自己的事，也要顾别人的事。”（腓立比书2:3-4）

当这个世界的经济和民生都还相对健康的时候，动动嘴皮子说上述那句话并不难。然而要在像今天这样的环境下，身体力行福音所提出的要求，那就完全是另一码事了。

就目前形势而言，我们如何能实实在在地做到“看别人比自己强”呢？对这个问题的回答，当然因人而异，要看各人在工作中所处的职位以及经济状况。但我想在这里提出几点建议供大家参考。

待在家里。出于政府的规定或强烈建议，我们绝大多数人都被要求与其他人保持一定距离。遵行这个指令，为了他人的健康主动牺牲一点个人的自由，就是做到了“看别人比自己强”。

主动要求减薪，以挽救一些工作职位。 一般人没有经济能力做到这一点，但如果你的经济能力允许你这么做的话，这其实是一种荣幸，让你能通过如此感人至深的举动来宣扬福音。

比平时更慷慨捐献。上周我和一个朋友聊天，他是开数字营销公司的。虽然他的公司在眼下的危机中暂时没受太多影响，但是他有理由担心将来可能会受到冲击。然而经过多番祷告之后，这位朋友最终迈出了信心的一步，决定为他最喜欢的一家当地咖啡馆支付店租。当时那家咖啡馆一直在东挪西补，濒临破产的边缘。我这位朋友的举动在一些人看来是愚蠢的，但是对咖啡馆的几位店主来说，他们看到的是付诸实践的福音。

我提出的这几项建议确实很难。可是你知道什么才比这难得太多太多吗？那就是为我们的罪付出代价。我们既被呼召要活出耶稣舍己的样子，那就让我们在应对这场危机的同时，也寻找富有创意的方法来展现耶稣的福音。

• 花点时间向神献上感恩与祈求

• Philippians 2

Christ’s Example of Humility

1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

12Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

14Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

19I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. 20For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. 23I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, 24and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

25I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, 26for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

Yesterday, we looked at Philippians 1 and how Paul used his time of isolation to “advance the gospel.” One of the ways we can use our own time of relative isolation to do this is by following Paul’s commands in today’s Scripture reading to “value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

It’s easy to pay lip-service to this ideal when the world is relatively healthy physically and economically. It’s an entirely other thing to live out expressions of the gospel in times like the moment we’re living in today.

How practically can we value others above ourselves during this time? The answer to that question will of course look different for each of us based on our vocational roles and financial situations. But here are a few ideas.

Stay at home. Most of us are under orders or strong advisement from government authorities to self-distance from others. “Value others above yourselves” by following these directives, volunteering to sacrifice some personal freedoms for the well-being of your neighbors.

Volunteer to take a pay-cut in order to save the jobs of others. Very few people can afford to do this, but the ones that do have the privilege of preaching the gospel through dramatic action.

Give more generously than usual. Last week, I spoke with a friend who runs a digital marketing agency. While his business has not been hit hard yet by the current crisis, he has reason to believe it could be. But after a lot of prayer, he decided to step out in faith and pay the rent of his favorite local coffee shop that was tinkering on bankruptcy. Actions like these may look foolish to some, but to those coffee shop owners, it looks like the gospel in action.

What I’m suggesting here is hard. But you know what was unfathomably harder? Paying for the penalty of our sins. We are called to model the self-sacrificial life of Jesus. Let us all look for creative ways to model his gospel as we work through this crisis.

• Take a moment to give thanks and prayers to God