Monday: The First Reading

Start with prayer. Ask God to impart wisdom to your mind, ask Jesus to relate the words to your soul, and ask the Holy Spirit to illumine your heart to their words.

Read the passages below, slowly, out loud if possible.

Philippians 2:1-11:

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

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 that is 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.

1 Corinthians 11:18-19:

In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.

Read the passages out loud one more time.

Read it once more, this time noting (by circling, highlighting, or underlining) those words or phrases that stand out to you. Mark them in your Bible.

Spend five minutes meditating on those words or phrases.

That is all for today.

End in prayer. Ask God to impart wisdom to your mind, ask Jesus to relate the words to your soul, and ask the Holy Spirit to illumine your heart to their Words.