March 21 – One Mind (Philippians 2:1-11)

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 2:5)

IN WORD:
Euodia and Syntyche were at odds with one another. The two women, each a valuable member of the church, couldn’t agree on some point (Philippians 4:2-3). We don’t know what the issue was, only that it was somehow divisive. It interrupted the unity of that body of believers.
Paul could have stepped in and settled the disagreement. He claimed apostolic authority on other occasions; he could have acted as a judge in this one. If he had, however, one party could have resented the decision, and the other may have taken pride in it. And neither would have learned any lesson other than the fact that Paul was in charge. No, there was a better way. Paul gave them a deeper remedy.
What was the remedy? To have the mind of Christ. Paul had told the Corinthians that Jesus’ mind was their inheritance (1 Corinthians 2:16). Now he tells the Philippians what having His mind implies: It means thinking like Him, Having His attitude, and most of all, having His humility.

IN DEED:
When we think of having the mind of Christ, we usually think in terms of getting His direction and following His will. We’re focused on action. But God has a higher purpose. He is focused on character. When He gives us the mind of Jesus, He is giving us the one gift that will fundamentally alter our sinful, conflict-prone nature. It is a gift that will shape us into the very image of God.
What is Jesus’ mind like? Paul goes on to tell us of Jesus’ humility — though He was God incarnate, He was a humble, obedient man. A servant. A dying servant, in fact. That’s usually not our goal when we strive for godly thinking, but it’s the first element of character that God will work in us. If we haven’t learned the humility of Jesus, we’ll never really understand His resurrection power. Our prayers will lack strength because they lack the nature of a servant. Our work will lack power because it doesn’t conform to His character. And our fellowship will lack unity because, unlike Jesus, we aren’t looking out for each other’s interests.

“If you are looking for an example of humility, look at the Cross.”
-Thomas Aquinas-