Philippians 2:5

Philippians 2:5

 

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus

 

We can read this text and think “That’s nice, but year right, no way I could do that”…or we could read the text and really consider how it might look in our lives. When Christ walked this earth, he approached people in respect, love, and gentleness. When he found someone caught in sin, he didn’t bring out the Good Book and start smacking them left and right over what they were doing wrong. He also didn’t just walk away, unconcerned with how they were living. He gently rebuked them, he kindly corrected them according to God’s Word. And when someone did something wrong to him, he didn’t backhand them for their mistake or promise to seek revenge when the time was right…no he forgave them. He humbled himself, looked past their transgression, and forgave them. In our lives today, we tend to lean more to seeking revenge, evening the scales, and making sure the other person gets what they deserve. In our lives today, we put ourselves first…we seek ways to get ahead despite the consequences to the other person. In our world today, we don’t live humbly, raising up another above ourselves. We raise ourselves up, we put ourselves first. Christ provided the perfect example of living a perfect life when he walked this land, so we have the template in hand. But we can’t be perfect and we aren’t expected to be perfect. For if we could, there would be no need for Jesus dying on the cross. There would be no need for God to send his perfect Son to drink down OUR punishment. We are inherently flawed folks, destined to slip up at some point over the course of our lives. But there is a big difference between trying and not trying. There is a big difference between sloughing off the text above as unrealistic and taking the text above and genuinely applying it in our lives. God knows if we are trying…God knows if we are really working to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. But he doesn’t just stand as a casual observer on the sideline, keeping score of our performance. No he’s down in the trenches with us, leading us to maintain the same mindset as Christ Jesus. May we seek today to love as Christ loves, care as Christ cares, and forgive as Christ forgives…truly employing the same mindset as Christ. And when it gets tough and seems impossible, may we prayerfully seek the wisdom, strength, and courage from our all providing, constantly loving, and eternally sustaining Almighty God. To God alone be the glory!