Let This Mind be In You

I guess I ought to be writing about what's going on in my life, but this homework assignment will say it better than a normal blog could. God has been constantly weighing this on my mind this semester.

Let This Mind Be In You

If I were to quote this title in front of a church or at my Bible school, I’d probably hear some faint whispers of people rattling off the rest of this passage (in Philippians 2 by the way). How many of those same people do you believe are actually applying this truth to their own lives? I’d say very few of them, knowing that I myself struggle very much to. Still Christ’s words ring in our minds, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

May Christ be glorified in my life, that I would seek to follow His example by serving men. This truth, the humbling of ourselves to God and our peers, is found throughout Scripture. We see this exemplified by Moses, David, Paul, and as already mentioned, Jesus Christ. In each of their lifetimes they saw other people as more important than themselves, and by submitting themselves they lived out amazing examples of selflessness.

  1. Moses willing to suffer hell for Israel (Exodus 32:31-32)
  2. David exhibits great kindness to lame Mephibosheth (2nd Samuel 9)
  3. Paul willing to suffer hell for Israel (Romans 9:3-5)
  4. Jesus Christ washes the feet of His disciples (John 13:1-15)
Christ’s words are simple, yet difficult. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34) It’s as if Moses and David knew God so well that they didn’t need to hear His new commandment; they knew His heart, that He loved mankind and longed to see him turn from his sin to a relationship with Himself.

Beyond the obvious application of loving others more than yourself, I must also ask you and myself: how well do we know God? Our love for others will rest upon the knowledge of our Father and the fellowship we have with Him. Jesus went on to say in verse 35 of John 13, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” May it be our life’s passion to glorify God by daily dying to ourselves, and lifting up the needs of those around us higher than our own, in order that this world would come to know that our God is LORD.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Summary Of the Newest

Keeping up-to-date with my blog has been a lot harder than I had imagined. Actually, I was going to put it off again tonight, but after Josh Evans had mentioned it to me I figured I could take an hour to sit down and review what I've experienced within the past month. Oh, where do I start? What's new? Well, I read so much more now than I ever have in my life. This past Monday I sat down and read Deuteronomy, to finish my reading of the Pentateuch. It's the first time that I've read the whole thing through (the Pentateuch that is). Isn't that crazy? A 22 year-old church boy who's been saved for nine years is just now reading the foundation of God's Word . I'm convinced now that if you haven't read the Pentateuch and understood it then you're probably misunderstanding much of the rest of the Bible. Understanding Genesis-Deuteronomy brings those lyrics to mind, "I can see clearly now; the rain is gone." So much that I never had a good gras
Read more

A World Unknown

This entry is going to be about coffee. I realize the title is probably a bit overkill for something that seems so general, but I wanted to catch your attention. It's about time I write something on coffee. Coffee may be a shallow thing to write on, in light of what could be written. However, in writing that, I'm reminded that I'm posting it on my blog, so I don't need to worry that very many people will waste their time reading this. I don't really have credentials to prove that I actually know as much as I do, and I'm not going to research books for quotes in order to prove my points. This entry is on somewhat of a "take it or leave it" basis, but I've tried only to write of what I know to be accurate. I am writing this because of how often someone will bring up coffee around me, and then   there has been people who have said, "Nate knows everything about coffee." Obviously, that's not true. We all will find that there are deeper le
Read more

A New Beginning

As a follow-up to one of my best friends' (Ben Hungerford) suggestions, I'll work on blogging more in order to keep those interested updated on the news in my life. Right now, I'm beginning a new chapter as I'm planning to head back to school in just a few days. This time, instead of an 18 year-old freshman, I'll be 22. Lots have changed since my first walk through college; self-discipline, desire, focus: to name a few. I no longer have the distraction of a freshly broken relationship of three years. I will no longer struggle to maintain a late-night job through the week. I now have a pull to exceed among my peers, and a passion to learn what I believe God has ordained me. The same question has been asked of me over and over again, "Are you excited?". Sure, of course I'm excited to acquire some independence. But really, if you want better insight to how I feel, I'm ready . God first called me to the mission-field when I was just nine years. Well, d
Read more