The Mind of Christ
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men." Philippians 2:5-7
We live in an ever changing world and our attention is constantly being tugged in every direction. With every challenge and new issue facing our world, things can quickly become overwhelming. This encouragement from the apostle Paul show us that we should have the same attitude, or mind, as Christ.
Everyone seems to want to be part of the latest movement or champion the cause of someone who has been victimized in some way, and these causes aren't bad, it is certainly admirable to work on behalf of someone else. To have the mind of Christ means that we think like He does and pattern our lives after what we see Jesus doing in the records of scripture.
Here in Paul's letter to the church in Philippi, he continues on by saying that Jesus came humbly and didn't think equality with God anything to grasped. The attitude that we see in Christ is quite different to much of what we see in the world today. Just think of everything that is screaming at us all day long on social media, the news media, and consumer ads; they teach us to love ourselves and think about our own likes, wants, and interests above all. This isn't what we see in Christ at all, His primary concerns was the Kingdom of Heaven, glorifying the Father, and His love for humanity.
How different would our world be if we began to shift our thinking and become more concerned about the things Jesus has called us to be concerned with rather than ourselves. What if we preferred others' interest ahead of our own? What if we love better and shared the Truth of the Gospel, unashamed? Those following Christ shouldn't be bitter people who spread strife, rather we should be savory, spreading peace, and showing others that we have been born to a Living Hope, namely, Jesus Christ.
Our world needs believers to have a different attitude, the attitude of Christ. This doesn't mean everyone will want to be our friend or accept us, the world did reject Jesus; it does mean that we will be spreading the Love of Christ, peace, and hope.
"Do all things without complaining or arguments; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding firmly the word of life, so that on the day of Christ I can take pride because I did not run in vain nor labor in vain." Philippians 2:14-16
We live in an ever changing world and our attention is constantly being tugged in every direction. With every challenge and new issue facing our world, things can quickly become overwhelming. This encouragement from the apostle Paul show us that we should have the same attitude, or mind, as Christ.
Everyone seems to want to be part of the latest movement or champion the cause of someone who has been victimized in some way, and these causes aren't bad, it is certainly admirable to work on behalf of someone else. To have the mind of Christ means that we think like He does and pattern our lives after what we see Jesus doing in the records of scripture.
Here in Paul's letter to the church in Philippi, he continues on by saying that Jesus came humbly and didn't think equality with God anything to grasped. The attitude that we see in Christ is quite different to much of what we see in the world today. Just think of everything that is screaming at us all day long on social media, the news media, and consumer ads; they teach us to love ourselves and think about our own likes, wants, and interests above all. This isn't what we see in Christ at all, His primary concerns was the Kingdom of Heaven, glorifying the Father, and His love for humanity.
How different would our world be if we began to shift our thinking and become more concerned about the things Jesus has called us to be concerned with rather than ourselves. What if we preferred others' interest ahead of our own? What if we love better and shared the Truth of the Gospel, unashamed? Those following Christ shouldn't be bitter people who spread strife, rather we should be savory, spreading peace, and showing others that we have been born to a Living Hope, namely, Jesus Christ.
Our world needs believers to have a different attitude, the attitude of Christ. This doesn't mean everyone will want to be our friend or accept us, the world did reject Jesus; it does mean that we will be spreading the Love of Christ, peace, and hope.
"Do all things without complaining or arguments; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding firmly the word of life, so that on the day of Christ I can take pride because I did not run in vain nor labor in vain." Philippians 2:14-16
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