DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE MIND OF CHRIST
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:5-8)
We as humans are very concerned about our reputations. We want to look nice and we care what other people think about our looks. We don't want to look like we just came in from the barn, so we comb our hair, wash our faces, and wear clothes that are clean and pressed. We want to make a good impression on other people. But Jesus was born in a barn.
Jesus was not concerned what people thought about how he looked. I'm sure that he looked presentable, not like John the Baptist who looked like he had just come in from the wilderness, wearing clothes made of camel's hair. I imagine that John's feet were dirty from the dust of the wilderness, and he probably did not part his hair just right, nor keep his beard perfectly trimmed.
These are all outward appearances. We know that people look on the outward appearances and makes judgments by looks, but God looks on the heart. So when Paul wrote about having the mind of Christ, he was not talking about the externals, but matters of the inward man – the mind and the heart. What set Jesus apart was not designer clothes, but the attitudes of the spirit. Even though he had every right to be top dog as God incarnate, He chose rather to humble Himself, becoming a servant.
God calls us to have the mind of Christ – to think like Jesus, to have His attitudes and priorities. This means humbling ourselves. Other people may think humility is a sign of weakness and lack of a good self-image. But I suggest that the only way we can be a servant is to have a good enough concept of our personhood that we do not have to prove ourselves by being bossy and domineering and putting down other people. The person who knows who he is can have the mind of Christ, Who set aside his own rights in order to serve others. This is the mind of Christ. May it be true that we have the mind of Christ, not being so concerned with what other people think about us but what God thinks.
Love, Dad
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