"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5).
Jesus gave us the best example of how we should live as children of God. Jesus' example is the pattern of that unselfish disregard of one's own things, and the devotion of things of others. Here Paul urges the Philippians, and the mind which was in Jesus, is presented as the model of which they are to fashion their minds. He challenged them to "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." This could only be done by way of unity in thought and purpose. Unity in thought begins with a proper mind set. This would allow purpose to flow from the heart. The attitude of Believers should be the same as Christ, after all we are His.
Paul understood this very well because he had not always possessed "A Christ-like Mind." Before his coming to Jesus, Paul was a thorn in the side of the Christian church. His encounter with the risen Savior changed his life forever. The time he spent in the Arabian Desert allowed him to have an one-on-one personal relationship with Christ, where he received direct revelation, which prepared him for God's work.
True spiritual unity comes from within; it is a matter of the heart. How would this church get back into locked-step with Paul's teaching? The sheep would have to humble themselves with true humility and seek God's will in all endeavors. This word, "humility" presents a problem to some Christians, but it has nothing to do with weakness. If a person is afraid to speak up and allow others to run over them, that is weakness and has nothing to do with humility. If you are strong enough to choose to commit yourself to the welfare of others, then you are showing humility.
Humility is a modest or low view of your own importance or showing humbleness. Someone who has humility is not proud and does not believe they are better than other people. A person of humility is not one who thinks mainly of themself; he or she simply does not think of self at all. True humility knows self and accepts self, yielding self to others to be a servant, to use what he or she has for the glory of God and the good of others. Humility is that grace that when you know that you have it, then you have lost it. Jesus didn’t think of Himself; He thought about others. His attitude was that of unselfish concern for humanity. Before Jesus went to the cross He demonstrated His humility, and the Gospel message gives us many examples.
Paul tells them, "Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind" (Philippians 2:2). Like-minded is having a like disposition or purpose. When people are like-minded, they share similar opinions, preferences, ideas, attitudes, or interests. He continues to say, "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves" (v. 3). Seemingly, this would not be a problem for a Christian, but for some it is. Paul further states, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others" (v. 4).
The test of "A Christ-Like Mind" is not just how much we are willing to take in terms of suffering, but how much we are willing to give in terms of service. To suffer for Christ is to be of service for Christ. To be of service for Christ is to be a servant unto Christ, which speaks highly of the Christian walk and relationship. Jesus stands alone as the One who willingly went to the cross so that you and I may have the right to eternal life. It was His suffering, His service, and His servant's attitude that made all of this possible.
Jesus emptied Himself, laying aside the independent use of His attributes. He made a positional change, but He was still God. The essence was still there. He chose not to exercise His divinity. He became a human in a sinless body. He walked the dusty roads and endured the hardships that was set before Him. He used a body to become a human, in order for Him to know and understand suffering. He took that body to the cross and willingly died. Nobody took His life, He gave His life freely. He humbled Himself before the Father. At any time He could have changed the course that was set before Him, but He remained obedient unto death. He was not a mere man, but was the sovereign holy God of the universe.
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus," is the example of Jesus in particularly to enforce the duty of humility. This is the highest example which illustrates and confirms this true virtue. We are to make the Lord Jesus our model and live our lives, as much as possible, in accordance with this great example.
When you have a Christ-liked mind, your Christ-liked mind will retain the things of God. The mind is the computer system of the body - garbage in, garbage out. If the mind continues to take in garbage, it will be loaded down with trash. If the mind is trained to receive the things of God, the things of the world will be insignificant.
The Christ-like mind reveals. It takes the things of God by the way of the Holy Spirit, and makes it known to you, thereby allowing you to make the revelation of Christ available to others.
The Christ-like mine rejects. Once you are saved the mind filters what comes in and what goes out.
The Chris-like mind is renewed. We come into this world as a member of the Adam's family, dead in sin. It is through the new birth that we receive life. At which time we no longer conform to this world, but are transformed by the renewing of our minds.
If we are going to possess a "Christ-like mind" we must diligently seek after Christ, then we can sit at His feet and surrender all to Him.
Romans 12:2 warns us, "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transform by the renewing of your mind." With this attitude we experience the direct guidance of God in our lives. Paul is saying that we cannot allow the mind to be occupied with the normalcy of this world. We cannot let the world around us squeeze us into its own mold. This world rejects the things of Christ. This world is materialistic. There is only one divine model for Christian living and that is Christ Jesus.
This mind must be trained to accept that behavior which is good and default that behavior which is detrimental to us. This is how we develop a Christ-like attitude. The working of the mind must be in tune with the Word and not the world. Training the mind is a delicate process, because an untrained mind, unlike a trained mind is open to anything. If the mind has been trained to be a good filter then the process of elimination becomes easy.
Our brain is like an extremely powerful computer, storing memories and controlling our thoughts and bodies. The brain is the signal box that receives information from the rest of the body. Every time you use any of your senses, all of that information is transmitted to your brain where it is process. Our senses initiate transmissions and the mind does the processing. When something happen externally, immediately a transmission is relayed to the processing area which is the mind. If the mind has been trained to take in garbage, it will inevitably be weighed down with a lot of trash.
When Satan approached Eve, he went for her mind. His intent was to plant a seed of deception in her mind to cause her to think on the things he said, thereby causing her to doubt God. Satan tried the same mind game with Jesus, but Jesus' mind was stayed in the Word and Satan got no where. The Scripture says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). Yes, we must submit our minds to God to have a Christ-like attitude. The same mind game is being played out everyday. That's why it is important not to "forsake the assembly of God."
Just because you have been saved and baptized does not mean you have the mind of Christ, the work is not finished, it is just beginning. There is no lack of information when one desire to understand the mind of Christ. The entire Bible is about Him. There is a streak of blood that runs from the Book of Genesis to Revelation. The Gospels gives us an up close and personal insight into the mind of Christ, from His human incarnated birth to His death, and resurrection.
We should pattern our life after Jesus'. There has been only one perfect being and that is Christ Jesus. He is the One who gave His life for you and me. He endured the sufferings for our sake. He hung and died on that old rugged cross for us, but on the third day He rose from the grave with all power. God exalted Christ by raising Him from the dead and opening the windows of heaven to receive Him back to His own rightful place and giving Him a name about all names.
These words are spoken not to those in the world who never yet submitted themselves to Christ for their own personal salvation. They are words written to those in Him, who have given themselves to Him, those who bear His sign, wear His love, and prefer to be called His Believers. If we are in Christ Jesus, the evidence will show, and the Christ-like mind will prevail.
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