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| Gulls in winter, (mostly) all facing into the chilly wind |
5 Let this mind be in you which was also
in Christ Jesus, 6 who,
being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a bondservant, and
coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in 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
The proliferation of dramas and docudramas detailing
criminal investigations has, based on the number of prime time offerings,
grown markedly over the years. Series like NCIS,
CSI, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, and others past and present, focus
on the whys and wherefores of crime.
There are of course many components that go into solving crimes; crime
scene investigation, gathering forensic evidence such as fingerprints, DNA,
weapon, coroner’s findings and eyewitness accounts. All are part of developing a profile of the
crime but one thing that often haunts investigators is the "why". Why was this crime committed? What was in the mind of the person who committed it? Answering these questions goes a long way to
developing and narrowing down a list of suspects. As every prosecutor understands, when it
comes to getting a conviction, the best way to do that is to be able to produce
a credible motive.
Understanding Jesus’ motive(s) are also important
for us to consider if we hope to achieve what the writer asks of us in this passage. Unfortunately, we often see these
verses torn from their context so that this consideration rarely comes to mind; “what is the 'this mind' to which the writer refers in verse 5?” Indeed, the motive of Paul in asking the
Philippian church to take on the Mind of Christ is, not only the broad sweeping
actions described in the passage that follows verse 5, but also those detailed
in verses 1 thru 4.
1 Therefore
if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any
fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being
like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let
nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of
mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look
out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
One need only scan this passage to see
that the qualities and characteristics listed here are embodied in the mind of
Christ:
Consolation
The
comfort of love
The
fellowship of the Spirit
Affection
and mercy
Being
likeminded
Rejecting
selfish and conceited ambition
Humility
of spirit, esteeming others
Considering
mutual and not just individual interests
Why we do what we do is just as crucial
as that which is done by us. How many
times have acts of kindness and personal ministry degraded into a tedious round
of activity when the foundational motivation supporting them is diminished or gone
missing altogether?
The kind but firm instruction stated in
Philippians 2:5 is that we should “let” the Mind of Christ into our lives. We are to invite it, affirm it, welcome it
and follow it as it directs our minds. When
we embrace it as our own, there will be NO uncertainty regarding our motive for
what we do in His name.
Letting the Mind of Christ be our
default way of thinking is the beginning; Thinking Jesusly is simply a
description of how we approach the day-to-day operations of our life and work
for Him.
Let this mind be in you.
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