Sunday, May 26, 2024
Phil 2:2-8
2 Fulfil ye my joy,
that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one
mind.
3 Let nothing be done
through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem other better than themselves.
4 Look not every man
on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the
form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of
no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men:
8 And being found in
fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross.
Three times in this portion Paul uses the word “mind.” It is interesting to learn
that they
have different meanings in the New Testament’s original language. Each
time, however, Paul emphasizes the fact that our actions begin in our thought
processes. Let’s take a look.
Like minded – One
accord – of one mind—THIS IS UNITY!
Couples who have been
married for a long time have an uncanny ability to finish each other’s thoughts
and sentences in a conversation. They are so intimately familiar with one
another that they seem to share a single mind! This is the atmosphere Paul is promoting
within the Philippians’ church. The meaning is UNITY.
What would happen if
you did not have to ask a question because you already knew the answer? What
would happen if you did not have to persuade or negotiate because there was no
opposition? What if every action had a predictable and FAVORABLE
reaction? This is the atmosphere Paul wanted for them.
1 Cor 1:10
10 Now I beseech you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak
the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that
ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same
judgment.
Lowliness of mind –
THIS IS HUMILITY!
Paul explains himself
in verse 4 when he says: “Look not every man on his own things, but
every man also on the things of others.” What would happen if every
member of the church weighed their ambitions in someone else’s balance? What if we consciously and intentionally
thought of others more than ourselves? What if each time we prepared a cup of
coffee for ourselves we prepared one for someone else – just the way they like
it – two sugars and no cream? Think about the atmosphere in that church where
every member functioned in this way!
The Mind of Christ –
THIS IS SACRIFICE!
Without abandoning His
awareness of His own equality with God, Jesus “took upon him [put on like a
garment] the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” It was
necessary for Christ to become man!
Rom 8:3-4
3 For what the law
could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in
the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit.
It was a tough job, as
we say, but someone had to do it! This is the mind of sacrifice. Jesus
willingly suffered loss that we might gain. Try, Paul was saying, to blend your
affections and emotions – your mind – with this attitude held by Christ. The
opposite of this “mind” is what I call the “greedy grab” mindset and it genders
strife.
James 4:1-2
4:1 From whence come
wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war
in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have
not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye
have not, because ye ask not.
Dear Lord! Help me to
develop a mind of unity with my brethren, a mind of humility with my peers and
the mind of Christ in the world. AMEN
No comments:
Post a Comment