Philippians 2:1-11

Philippians 2:1-11
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Last night, a Super Bowl concluded with confetti and a huge trophy, with millions watching the celebration and a supreme happiness for the winning team and their fans.  What's amazing, though, is that this will pass.  In the months and years to come, the happiness associated with the Super Bowl will fade away, and people will yell at the TV in frustration, forgetting the happiness associated with this moment.
  True joy, however, is seated so deeply within us that it does not fade.  The joy we get from being connected to the Father through the working of the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ is so powerful that it does not pass or fade -- it grows stronger with time, for we realize that Christ's love grows and grows as the relationship deepens.  Here, Paul finds joy in others joining him in the same love, humble worshiping the same Savior and selflessly serving others in the community, inviting them in to the body of Christ.
  I don't know what your week holds, but know this -- Christ died so that you might live this week with the joy of heaven deep in your heart, so that you might have the strength to face the world with the eternal peace of God and the confidence that comes in knowing that nothing will separate you from the love of Christ.  We all have the same choice today -- will we join our hearts to the heavenly choir that bows the knee before the Lordship of Jesus Christ?  Today is our chance to practice the song that we will sing forever -- that Christ alone is Lord of all.