THE MIND OF CHRIST

“In your lives
you must think and act
like Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 2:5
New Century Version

The Apostle Paul states clearly and emphatically that “we have the mind of Christ.” As the sons of God who have His Spirit, this is a matter of truth. Romans 8:9, says “remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.” The Spirit of Christ includes the mind or disposition of Christ. The mind of Christ is to be more than admired, but desired and pursued. It is a matter of choice and the believer must enter into it and imitate it. Paul was not merely suggesting it, but it was an injunction to the believer to ‘keep thinking like this.’
Jesus Christ is our model. He was consecrated, or set apart, for the good of others. From the beginning of his life until his death, Jesus took the most humble form of humanity and performed in the lowliest of offices. He never lost the true essence of who He was but rather divested himself of his divine glory.
The overriding quality of Jesus was humility. He was not focused on anything of himself. He was totally secure in his position as the Son of God and in his relationship with his Father. He willingly took on the appearance or guise of a servant. Forsaking all privileges and entitlements that came with his position and authority as the son of God, he purposely and willingly humbled himself. He totally identified with our humanity. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.”
Not only was his life marked by humility, but even in death, humility remained the hallmark. He willingly humbled himself to a tortuous and shameful death by crucifixion. He takes the mortality of the flesh and tastes death, hell and the grave. He is our Suffering-servant.
Have you embraced the mind of Christ? Is your life marked by humility and the servant attitude? The mind of Christ affords the believer with an awesome, supernatural power to comprehend and execute the will of God in the earth. Without this mind, we cannot please God. Jesus is our example. Follow his steps and think and act just like Him. †

SERVANTHOOD

“And whosoever would be
first among you shall be your servant.”
Matthew 20:27
The American Standard Version

According to a resume website, careers that will be in high demand and afford you the lifestyle you want without creating credit and debt problems in the 21st century are Systems Analysts, Managers & Executives, and Registered Nurses. In the kingdom of God, the top ranking job is to be a slave. The servant’s motivation for serving God and others is not to gain something, but rather they serve because of everything God has already done.
One who is considered to be the greatest in the kingdom of God will be the one who is devoted to another and will serve with disregard of one’s own interests. A servant according to God’s definition is a slave or bondman. The servant of the Lord is one who gives himself up to another’s will and whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men.
Jesus Christ is the epitome of and our greatest example of servanthood. Matthew 20:28 says, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." As the son of God, Jesus could have come to earth in all of His glory and splendor with ten thousand angels. Quite on the contrary, Philippians 2:7-8 says that Jesus, “stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!” Here we see the KING OF GLORY take on the role of not just a slave, but a bond slave. He gave Himself totally to the will of the Father. He was not a servant because He had no other options, but he willingly chose to abandon the beauty and joy of heaven to be wrapped in the womb of a woman and die a horrific death on the cross.
Christ is our example and we are exhorted to “Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Since we are His disciples, we should follow in his footsteps and willingly and joyfully serve God, others and the advancement of the kingdom of God. In God’s kingdom, the way up is down. It’s your serve! †

DISCIPLESHIP

“And whosoever doth not
bear his cross, and come after me,
cannot be my disciple.”
(Luke 14:27)
King James Version

Many people today will say, “Yes, I believe in God.” However, being a disciple of Christ is more than a mere mental assent to His existence. The Apostle James said, “Do you still think it's enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror” (James 2:19 – NLT).
Jesus had crowds of people who followed him, literally thousands. But, they were a mixed multitude. Their intentions were not all the same. Many followed out of curiosity, some just to go along with the crowd and some for the fish and loaves. Jesus set the qualifications for discipleship. A disciple is one who is willing to be instructed, trained and disciplined in order to become like his Master in thought, attitude and action. Jesus was very clear on the cost of discipleship. The requirements for being his disciple were love, total submission and obedience.
Jesus’ first admonition is that a disciple must not love anyone more than Christ. No family members were excluded from the line-up. Jesus included father and mother, wife and children, and brothers and sisters. He even includes one’s own life, as well! Any person who stands in the way of honoring Christ, the interests of Christ, or who may dissuade one from Christ’s service must be neglected and forsaken. Such loved ones are actually an offense, hindrance and snare to the true disciple because they would only see things from a human point of view, and not from God's (Matthew 16:23). Only those who are willing to part with the dearest relationships when Christ requires it are worthy to be called his disciples.
Jesus also talks about bearing the cross. The one carrying the cross essentially walks down death row to their place of execution. There are no reprieves. The cross here represents suffering and ultimately death to one’s own mind, will, emotions, desires, dreams and expectations. Disciples of Christ must be prepared to suffer and endure all types of suffering and misery, even unto death, for the cause of the gospel.
Jesus now says, “Count up the cost. These are my qualifications and there are no exceptions.” Calculate what it really takes to be worthy of being called a disciple of Christ. Don’t just be part of the crowd, be a disciple of Christ. †

RICH TOWARDS GOD

“Yes, a person is a fool
to store up earthly wealth
but not have a
rich relationship with God.”
Luke 12:21
New Living Translation

It is so vitally important to know what is really important and what makes life worth living. Many today define success by their financial portfolios, fine homes and luxury automobiles. Many have everything they could ever imagine and yet are not content and continue to acquire things that cannot satisfy. This is the nature of covetousness which is a greedy desire to have more, or avarice. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.
Jesus spoke to the people and shared with them a parable regarding a wealthy man who had an abundance of fine crops to the point his barns were overflowing. He saw his wealth and decided to build bigger barns to accommodate his wealth. The farmer said to himself, “you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!' That very night he died and God asked, “Now, who will get all this that you have stored up?” Instead of building and investing in a relationship with God, he chose to hoard perishable things that had no eternal weight or value. Earthly riches are temporal.
Should we save and be good stewards? Of course. However, the primary goal of the believer is to be rich towards God which is eternal and will not perish. Matthew 6:19-20 says, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”
It is foolish to acquire earthly wealth and riches and neglect developing a rich relationship with God. Mark 8:36 says, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
In light of our present economic condition, many are trying to find financial stability and security. The first priority should be to secure eternal security in a life invested in Christ Jesus. He knows our needs before we even ask (Matthew 6:8). It is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom when we seek Him first. Make a deposit today into your heavenly account and trust God to provide every need according to his riches in glory.

THE FAMILY OF GOD

“For whosoever shall do
the will of my Father which
is in heaven, the same is my brother,
and sister, and mother.”
(Matthew 12:50)
King James Version

Have you ever heard the saying, “Blood is thicker than water?” This common English idiom means that family relationships are stronger than others. People in the same family have the same blood while friendships and even marriage are chosen relationships. Obviously, Jesus did not get the memo.
While teaching one day, Jesus’ mother and brothers came and desired to speak with him. Of course, those around interrupted his teaching to let him know that his family wanted to speak with him. Jesus responded in a very interesting manner. He asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brethren?” He answered his own question when he spread his hands toward his disciples and made a qualifying statement. His family was only those who did the will of His father in heaven. To be sure, his ‘blood’ relatives may have taken great offense to his statements.
Upon further contemplation of his statement, we find that when we are born into the family of God, John 1:13 says, we “were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” So, those who are in the family of God are born by the water
spirit, and the precious blood of Jesus Christ (John 3:5).
Basically, Jesus is saying those who are truly born of God will obey the commands of the Father. Jesus says, “being born by my blood and obeying my Father is thicker than human DNA blood. Obedience to the will of the Father is the proof that you are part of the family of God.”
We honor our familial relationships and even can be proud of our heritage, color, race, and creed. However, none of these trump being part of the royal family of God. Our citizenship in the family of God is what defines us. Luke 14:26 says, "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.”
The blood of Jesus and obedience to His will unites millions from different backgrounds and across cultural, ethnic, and racial boundaries. Today, pray for the whole family of God. Encourage a brother or sister in Christ to continue to walk in obedience and enjoy the true fellowship of the spirit in the family.

HE FIRST LOVED ME

“We love him,
because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
King James Version

The love of God is steadfast, pure, and passionate and endures forever. Romans 5:7-8 says, “Very few people will die to save the life of someone else. Although perhaps for a good person someone might possibly die. But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” God demonstrated his great love toward us even before we made a decision to live, serve or love Him. John 15:13 says, “And here is how to measure it – the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.” While we were yet enemies of God, He called us friends and laid down His life so that we would have life and life more abundantly (John 10:10).
He first loved us. It was not because we were so good. Isaiah 64:6 says, “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Yet, he chose to love us and demonstrate his love by dying on the cross to redeem us. In His infinite wisdom, he knew many would reject, ignore and disobey him. Yet, he died. Nothing would stop his love, not even death, hell or the grave. His love is passionate.
Song of Solomon 8:6 says, “Love is invincible facing danger and death. Passion laughs at the terrors of hell.” He rescued us from the clutches and bondage of sin and destroyed the power of sin, death, hell and the grave. His love triumphs over every obstacle and cannot be stopped.
What is the only logical response to this awesome love? It only makes sense to respond to Him with passion, commitment, honor and reverence. We should no longer live unto ourselves, but live for the one who gave His life for us. We should love him much because we have been forgiven of much (Luke 7:47). To reject this type of unconditional love or to treat it irreverently is insanity!
Romans 5:8 says, “For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Today, take time to thank God for His love and evaluate your love for Him. Pray and ask the Lord to help you to further ‘know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God’ (Ephesians 3:19). He loved your first, love Him back!