Aug 2

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:…” Philippians 2:5

The imitation of Christ is suggested to us all as believers by the apostle Paul, as he writes to the church at Philippi. The mind set of those who profess to be followers of Christ should surely reflect the mind of Christ. It is quite impossible to be Christ-like, a Christian in practice, if we are not a Christian in belief and thought. Much of what we will perform begins in the mind and heart and it is therefore very appropriate for us to discover what the mind of Jesus is and then think like Him. While He walked among us, the Lord made clear the intent and motivation of His actions and showed to us all the manner and way of true Christian life. There is much that could be said at this point in regards to the mind of Christ, but perhaps a few points will suffice here. The Lord was genuinely complete in every way and could have rightly flaunted His perfection and purity, His power and superiority, but He did not. With this in focus, let us note then that the mind which was in Christ Jesus was a mind of humility. Jesus showed us an example of humility in everything He did and in the way He related to others. This should form the pattern of our life’s motivation. We should not do anything to be ‘seen’ of others, to receive the praise and accolades of those around us or to be noted and recognised. The heart of the believer should be driven by the passion of true love and service unto God and not strive for credit or recognition. When appreciation or honour comes from others out of genuine hearts, it must be deflected immediately and without hesitation, to Him to whom it truly belongs, the Lord Jesus. The mind of Jesus was also a mind of subjection to the Father. Jesus, as God in the flesh, the Son, never usurped the will and pleasure of the Father in Heaven. His desire and conduct was wrapped up in bringing about all that the Father’s will and purpose demanded. His obedience was complete and His compliance absolute and service. To have such mind, we too must be willing to fall in alignment with all that God commands of us and directs us to do. Nothing should be too ‘hard’ for us to obey God in, or too extreme to include in our lives, if He so directs in His Word and by His Spirit. This kind of mind is consecrated to the Lord, dedicated to His purposes and intent in fulfilling His will in every detail. Along with humility and subjection, we find the mind of Christ to be a mind of service. The needs of others were the first and foremost interests of our Lord. The striving, argumentative and adversarial mentalities, to which we sometimes subscribe, are not Christ-like. They do not minister to the needs of others, but all too often only cater to our own feelings and wants. This is not to say we cannot stand for righteousness, refute error or reprove wrong, but it does mean that we can do those things in the manner, attitude and spirit of love and service that Jesus showed. He came to serve and minister to others. He, who was King of Kings, willingly became the Chief Servant and gave to us who did not deserve. Such altruism is at the core of the mind of Christ, and should be the mainframe and motivation of ours also. Our human nature makes the taking and nurturing of our own interests first and normative. The new nature we inherit from Jesus, turns that around, and places others ahead of ourselves. Developing that mind of Christ in us is a choice we must continue to make throughout our Christian walk. It will not happen by chance or accident, nor by mere religious observance. It can only come as we yield more of ourselves, our hearts and passions, to comply and align with the purpose for which we were created and saved – to be more like Jesus!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion