“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:1-5)
What does it mean to let the same mind be in ourselves as was in Jesus Christ? The question is answered at the beginning of Philippians 2, ‘have the same love and in the same spirit as Jesus.’ Do what Jesus did for the reason that He did so. Certainly our own death on the cross isn’t required but we should love as Jesus loves. Love is His mind and therefore the mind of His Father and our Father. I was sort of watching part of an episode of “Gunsmoke.” James Arness was talking about a mountain man lying wounded in a bed while others in the town were urging him to get this dirty, scruffy rough man out of Dodge. James Arness’ character, Marshal Dillon said, “He may be dirty, scruffy and rough on the outside but on his inside he is still a man.” No matter how ‘unlovable’ someone appears to be on the outside, inside that person is still one of God’s Creation who needs to be loved. Everyone is to be treated with the same love, dignity and respect due God Himself. That is non-negotiable. Sometimes they make it hard to love, honor and respect them but we are required to do so.
Prayer: Great God our Creator, our eternal God and everlasting Father we come humbly into your presence this day. We thank for this day. We thank you for your gift of grace and love in Jesus Christ. We thank you for the gift of love and loving. Lead us into a mind like that of Jesus Christ, for we pray this in the redeeming Name of Jesus Christ. AMEN!
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