March 23 – A Surprising Mind (Philippians 2:1-11)

“He humbled Himself and became obedient to death.”
(Philippians 2:8)

IN WORD:
The mind of Christ is offered to us in Scripture, and it sounds so appealing. We think of the gentle Jesus of Galilee, the Shepherd who cares for us and who can cure any disease. We want that Shepherd as our guide; He will feed us when we’re hungry and cleanse us of our sins. He will wash our feet and settle our disputes. If we could only be like Him, we think. And when Scripture offers us such a treasure — the blessedness of Christlikeness — we ask God to make Him real in our lives.
What a surprise, then, when we find that being like Jesus means more than healing and helping, preaching and teaching, feeding and clothing, and blessing at every turn. It also means obedience — hard, painful obedience. The kind of obedience that every bone in our bodies wants to resist. The kind that sweats drops of blood when confronted with God’s plan for our lives. The kind that requires ultimate humility, compelling us to subdue every dream we once held dear. The mind of Jesus led Him not to glory first, but to death. Yes, that kind of mind is a surprise to us. It is radical and unexpected.

IN DEED:
Does that mean that we shouldn’t pray to have His mind? Of course not. But it does mean that we should understand what our prayers will mean. God will not take us down easy paths to conform us to Jesus. He does not lead us on a walk in the park, but toward a struggle in the garden of Gethsemane, where strong wills are subdued, and the glory of God and the welfare of others compete with our own personal plans. And we know, when we get there, that He will lead us into death.
It’s a painful death, but a glorious one. The other side of it is resurrection, which God has planned all along. Our ultimate, humble obedience will lead to high exaltation. Why? Because a lowly-then-exalted Jesus has called us. The very mind of the Resurrection has become our guide.

“Are you laying a feather bed for me? No, that shall not be. My Lord was stretched on a hard and painful tree.”
-Brother Lawrence-