“For I Have No One Else”

Paul loved the Philippian church, just as he did all the congregations with which he labored. He had planted the gospel seed there and wanted to ensure its growth even though he had moved on to other mission fields. He wrote these Christians a letter explaining that in his absence, he would send Timothy. Timothy would not only help with their work, but would also report back about their progress. Why Timothy? Paul explains that he chose this young man because, “I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:20-21). Among Paul’s fellow workers, there was a great deal of selfishness. He knew that only Timothy would be able to serve the Philippians in the proper manner.

The key word there is serve. Jesus told the Pharisees that “the greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matt. 23:11). Paul chose Timothy because, just like himself, Timothy possessed a servant’s heart. Perhaps Paul knew that the church at Philippi needed to see servant hood modeled for them. After all, there were two ladies in the congregation who were having trouble living “in harmony” (Phil. 4:2). The bottom line is that when Timothy arrived in Philippi, he was not interested in promoting himself, but was instead focused on glorifying God by strengthening the local church. Only God knows the wondrous extent of the work he was able to do there because, as Paul would put it, he did nothing from “selfishness or empty conceit,” but with humility of mind regarded others as more important than himself (Phil. 2:3).

God intended for Christians to help each other. He could have instructed us each to follow him individually, but He knew that we would not have much success on our own. Instead, he created an amazing institution by which we can share our joys, heart-aches, and struggles. He wanted us to walk the straight and narrow hand in hand so that it would not be easy to drift away to the broad way that leads to destruction. We have an obligation to serve one another in good times and bad, sometimes even forsaking our own interests.

The effect of this service is somewhat paradoxical. You may sacrifice in order to help your brother or sister, but you will ultimately be made better yourself. This principle is seen clearly in Christ’s words from John 15:13, “Greater love has no man than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” When we lay down our lives every day in service to our fellow Christians, we are exhibiting the highest level of what is described as the greatest of all spiritual gifts: love. Love equals service. Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to die one of the worst deaths that man has ever been able to conjure up. Simply put, sacrificial love is what God is all about. It has the power to transform our lives and the lives of others. This point is driven home in 1 John 4:12, “No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” What an amazing thought! By loving/ serving one another, we open the door for God’s love to be perfected in us, which ultimately means that our lives become more in tune with what God expects of us and that we are able to share a stronger faith with others.