Tonight I went to the YACTR (Young Adults of Christ the Redeemer) Bible study. We started back up after a short cessation and are going to be going through Philippians this summer. I like this choice.

We talked about a lot tonight. A few key themes stand out: community, selflessness, unity, single minded-ness. Paul is so selfless as he rejoices that Christ is proclaimed, even while he is imprisoned. Can I imagine that? How wd. I deal with being left out, in the “bad-boy” position, while others are out proclaiming the gospel, looking like the good guys while having rotten motives? It sounds pretty unfair to me, and I'd feel pretty miserable. Rejoice? Paul is completely selfless and focused on the gospel, and that is pretty cool. He's not looking at himself. He doesn't have control issues, and it really isn't all about him. Then there's community. The way we live a life that is worthy of the gospel is at least in part through fellowship and community with others, a godly one-minded-ness. Fellowship, sharing, encouragement, upholding—these are so important. With this kind of unity, the opponents are playing a game that was over before it even started. Then we move on to individuality and self sufficiency. It's not about that. Paul has it going for him, but he doesn't claim that. To kind of sum up, it's not about us, it's about Christ and the gospel, and our identity is in Christ not us. A practical application of this and a way to cultivate this attitude is thought fellowship with others, a community enthusiasm and focus. And I think... therein lies the key to the solution of the battle that rages in me between carving out my identity through doing things and, yes, still “doing” but not being defined by that.