“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
