MONDAY MOTIVATION

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Welcome to Monday Motivation—a devotional blog to keep you encouraged throughout the week! My name is Pastor Guy Deckard and I am incredibly excited for you to join in every Monday.
 
Below, you will find the most recent Monday Motivation post and if you continue scrolling, you will find an archive of blog posts by date. If you’d like to get a better understanding as to how this blog came about, click HERE to read the first Monday Motivation post. 
 
I invite you to follow along with me every Monday! And if you would like to dive even deeper into your study of God’s Word, purchase the same daily study that this blog is based, just click HERE.
#mondaymotivation

I’m Third!

I’m Third
From the June 12th reading
 
 
What is the biggest hurdle in your relationships with others? Your marriage? Church?
 
SCRIPTURE:
READ: Philippians 2:1-11
 
Philippians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves (NIV)
 
 
OBSERVATIONS:
  • Don’t be selfish or self-centered (selfish ambition)
  • “Vain conceit” – worried about your appearance
    • Don’t be stuck up!
  • “But in humility” – put others first!
  • 1 Cor. 6:1-11 Put others first. Willing to be wronged for the sake of unity

 

APPLICATION:

  • Don’t be selfish or self-centered
  • Don’t be overly concerned about your looks or how you dress
  • Don’t think too highly of yourself!
  • Be humble
    • Not false humility
    • Not a doormat
  • Put others above yourself
  • Love your wife as you do yourself (Eph. 5:33)
  • Submit to one another (Eph. 5:21)
  • “I’m third!”
 
 
MOTIVATION:
It was after nine in the morning of June 7, 1958, and the Air National Guard’s jet precision team, the “Minute Men” were flying at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, just outside Dayton, Ohio. For the Minute Men this was just another show, and they were happy the skies were clear, the air was morning-smooth, and thousands of viewers would see the show. Former Kanakuk Kamper, Captain John Ferrier flew an F-86 for this Denver-based jet team. And after a routine maneuver, Ferrier’s plane was rolling out of control, and he was in trouble. Seeing him headed right for a neighborhood, Colonel Williams gave the command over the microphone. “Bail out, Johnny, bail out!” From the Feature Section of the Denver Post: “There was still plenty of time, still plenty of room for him to bail out. The Colonel even issued the command twice more. Each time he was answered by a blip of smoke. He grasped the sense of it immediately. John Ferrier couldn’t reach the mike button on the throttle because he had both hands tugging on a control stick that was locked full-throw right. But the smoke button was on the stick, and he was answering the only way he could–squeezing it to tell Williams he thought he could pull out…that he couldn’t let his airplane go into the houses of the neighborhood. Captain Ferrier’s Sabre jet hit the ground equidistant from four houses. There was hardly any place other than that one backyard garden where he could have hit without killing people.” We met and knew Johnny when he was a Kamper and an honor Kamper. We knew him as a junior counselor and as a young counselor. He learned the I’m Third way of life and one of his years as a Kamper he was given an I’m Third card that he carried in his wallet wherever he went. God First, Others Second, I’m Third. [i]
 
Even to this day campers at Kanakuk Kamps learn the concept of “I’m Third”; It is one of their root foundations that has carried on from generation to generation.
 
This is the same concept that is found in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves”. I’m third! It is taken from Matthew 22:37-39 where Jesus answers the question from the expert in law on what is the greatest commandment. Jesus’ answer can be summed up in this order: 1) Love God; 2) Love others; and 3) Love yourself. In other words, I’m third!
 
Most of the problems found in relationships, marriages, and in church begin with selfishness or self-centeredness. “I want it my way!” The same was true in Paul’s day. Like most churches there were problems in the church in Philippi. There was false teaching coming from outside the church, and there was disunity inside the church.
 
When it comes to the “selfish ambition” found in Philippians 2, one author had this to say: “Nothing was to be done out of selfish ambition (v. 3). The same word (eritheian) appears in 1:17 to describe the attitude of those who opposed Paul. Without question such behavior is of the flesh and not the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:20, which uses the same word). Vain conceit, meaning “empty glory,” was probably the root cause of their selfish ambition.”[ii] When we are acting selfishly, the flesh and not the Spirit is controlling us.
 
When the Spirit is controlling us, then we respond with humility. Warren Wiersbe explains humility like this: “It is important that we understand what the Bible means by ‘humility.’ The humble person is not one who thinks meanly of himself; he simply does not think of himself at all!”[iii] The person who says, “I am the most humble person I know”, isn’t!
 
“Others” is the main idea in this chapter. We should not be focused on what we want and ourselves, but on the needs of others. If more of us could take on the motto of “I’m third” we could turn this town upside down. We could truly Transform Chino!
 
PRAYER:
Pray that God would show you where you have any “selfish ambition” in your life. Where do you need humility?
 
 
Each week’s Monday Motivation is taken from the reading schedule found in the Life Journal. If you are ready for the next step in your discipleship, then order yours today or see me for a copy.
www.lifejournal.cc
 
If you would like help in growing in your faith, or if you would like to know how to have faith in Him, then please contact us at (928)636-2949 or email me at pastorguy@cvgrace.com
 
 
[i] Camp Kanakuk’s website: www.kanakuk.com; Article: I’m third: A Way of Life
[ii] Lightner, R. P. (1985). Philippians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 653). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[iii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 73). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
 



 Devotionals by Date

 January 2018

 
 
 
 

MONDAY MOTIVATION INTRODUCTION

 
 
 
  
 
 

THE GREAT SHEPHERD

 
January 1, 2018
 
 
  
 
 

THE GREAT PLANNER 

 
January 8, 2018
 
 
 
 
 

PROTECTING YOUR ROOTS

January 15, 2018
 
 
 
 
 

FACING YOUR GIANTS

January 22, 2018
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

February 2018

 
 
 

PLEASE STAND

February 5, 2018
 
 
 
  
 
 
 

BE A GAME CHANGER

February 12, 2018
 
  
 
 
 

FINISH STRONG

February 19, 2018
 
 
 

STRETCHER BEARERS

February 26, 2018
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

March 2018

 
 
 

DIGGING YOUR WAY OUT

March 5, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

REAL PEARLS

March 12, 2018
 
  
 
 
 

HIDDEN IDENTITY

March 19, 2018

 
 
 

MYSTERY GARDEN
March 26, 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
April 2018
 
 

THE TEST!

April 2, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

PASS IT ON!

April 9, 2018
 
  
 
 
 

CRACKED POTS!

April 16, 2018

 
 
 

LAY THEM DOWN!

April 23, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

LETTING GO 

April 30, 2018
  
May 2018
 
 
 

IDOL WORSHIP OR IDLE WORSHIP?

May 7, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

WATCH AND PRAY!

May 14, 2018
  
 
 
 

DON’T SAY GOODBYE

May 21, 2018

 

 
 
 

TRAPPED

May 28, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 

 

June 2018
 
 
 

GOT A MATCH?

June 4, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

CHOSEN?

June 11, 2018
 
 
  
 
 

I’M THIRD!

June 18, 2018

 

 
 
 

CHANGED LIVES MATTER

      June 25, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
July 2018
 
 
 

MADE FOR MORE THAN THIS

      July 2, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

SET FREE!

       July 9, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

   HEAVENLY PLACES       July 15, 2018

 
 
 

LOOKING IN THE MIRROR

July 2, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

NO SURPRISES HERE

July 2, 2018

 
 
 
August 2018
 
 
 

INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED

August 6, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

THE PEOPLE PLEASER

August 13, 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 

ONE CHURCH

      August 20, 2018

 
 
 

BROTHERLY LOVE

August 27, 2018

 
 
September 2018
 
 
 

NEWLYWEDS!

September 3, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

WHEN GOD SPANKS US!

September 10, 2018

 
 
 
 

TAKING A STAND

September 17, 2018

 
 
 

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

September 24, 2018

 
 
October 2018
 
 
 

FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY

October 1, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

STAND YOUR GROUND!

October 8, 2018

 
 

 

 

FAITH UNDER FIRE

October 15, 2018

 
 
 
 

HOMELESS FOR A DAY

October 22, 2018

 
 
 
 
November 2018
 
 
 

A HEAVENLY MARRIAGE?

November 5, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

HOLY SMOKE!

November 12, 2018

 
 
 
 

MIRROR, MIRROR…

November 19, 2018

 
 
 
 

SECRET AGENT

November 26, 2018

 
 
 
 
December 2018
 
 
 

INNOCENT

December 3, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

HOPE?

December 10, 2018

 
 
 
 

FREEDOM

December 17, 2018

 
 
 
 

MORE THAN A MANGER

December 24, 2018