“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 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” Philippians 2:5-11

In our relationships and in our lives, learn to serve as we have been served.  
Even as the one greater than all, Jesus did not let His position affect His behavior. He made himself nothing. I am no more than you are; I am no better. I am here in obedience to serve and save; I have come to give and die. 
And for his obedience God gave Him the best name.
Y’all… 
I look around in all the little circles in my life and am broken over people. Truth is the greater the circle, though, the bigger the problems.
 We are in a world where it matters what your last name is. It counts what color you are. It makes a difference where you came from. It’s of significance if you have money. 
I wish I could say I don’t remember when it happened, but, honestly, I’ve known it no other way. 
Why?
Serve as we have been served. 
Jesus, in His humanness, was KING and He came so humbly that He saw himself no better than you or I. What happened? How did we go from a crown of thorns to just crowns? 
How is one race better than the other? Or his name better than hers?
I cannot imagine how it hurts Jesus to see His people like this. Created for love, we have turned this world into nothing but division.. of color, or success, or status. As people we’re caught up in who WE are, what WE have, or how WE can be better.. and there’s so much me that there’s never an us.
We have a heart that longs to prosper, but we always choose ourselves. Selfishness is not our success- it’s our sentence.

“Because of the evil they have done.. they aroused my anger…. again and again I sent my servants who said do not do these detestable things that I hate. But they did not listen or pay attention; they didn’t turn from wickedness or stop… my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the people and made them the desolate ruins they are today” Jeremiah 44:3-6

Over and over the Bible tells us to love one another, be servants to eachother, help your neighbor, give, forgive, and be humble. 
Instead we criticize. We help when it helps us. We spend more time talking about our neighbors than serving them. We give when it can be returned. We forgive without forgetting, and humble is not even a thing. People are only what we can benefit from them. We don’t even see people as people. 
And so God is angry and it’s our fault. We are the reasons our circles look like they do.
Jesus came as king and walked as man. I am no better than you are. What makes us more if Jesus himself was less? 
Yes, We are all different. We’re all different colors and shapes and sizes; we have different amounts of money, different numbers of friends, different stuff… but y’all we’re all people and we’re all worth the same. 
And so God exalted Him and gave Him a name above names. 
The world tells us to be somebody you have to have some things; the one that rules says just the opposite. 

“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last” Matthew 20:16

You can be a lot of things for a little while, or you can have it all forever but you’ve got to give now or you’ll be without later.
Serve one another as Christ served you. Make most everything about others and focus on making one thing about you.

“Therefore since we have these promises, dear friends, let’s purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” 2 Corinthians 7:1 

Purify ourselves. If we want to have stronger, healthier circles- there has to be a surplus of change. Start with you, cleaning from the inside out. 
We cannot live in even circles when we sit in divided groups. 

“All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish” Ezekiel 17:24 

Serve until you’re dry. I want to be empty.
Xoxo,
Katie