When two people enjoy the benefits of having the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5),
we have the ability and wisdom to maintain a loving, peaceful and joyful
relationship. We passionately pursue God's will for both our lives each moment
of every day.
When
we seek the Lord together, we tap into His power and purpose for our
association. We reject worldly pressures, viewpoints and values, and walk in
the Spirit instead (Romans 12:2; Galatians 5:15-25). We consult the Lord and walk
in God's will for each moment of our day (Ephesians 2:10; Proverbs 3:5-8).
Jesus,
fully man and fully God, helps us to see that humility, serving each other, and
preferring one another above our self is God's call on our life (Philippians
2:6-8). He showed us what is good, and what God requires of us.
God
calls us to live justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8).
By God's mercy, we present our body to Him as a living sacrifice. As our
spiritual worship to Him, our life is progressively more holy and acceptable to
Him (Romans 12:1).
We
do not conform to this world's philosophy and standards, but we allow God's
Spirit to transform us after Jesus' example (Philippians 2:1-11). We live in
His wisdom and power with His fruit replacing our carnality.
We
adopt Jesus' values, viewpoint and way of thinking as our own. Although Jesus
was equal with God, He lived in obedience to our Father God during His whole
life, including His death on Calvary's cross (Philippians 2:6-8).
We
also show our love to God by obeying His will for our life (John 14:15). We
imitate Christ in our thoughts, which influences our emotions, behavior and
spirituality.
We
daily drink in the Word of God and apply it to our life, pray together with our
spouse and/or family, actively listen to their needs and concerns, and focus on
God's will for us individually and collectively.
Other
benefits of having the mind of Christ is that we slow down, live in the present
rather than feeling shame over our past or fearing the future, actively listen
to others, and love and care for people as Jesus did during His lifetime.
Prayer:
Father
God, remind us that when we live in humility, not neglecting our self but not
constantly putting our self first, our relationships improve and our witness to
the world around us is amplified as we magnify Jesus with our thoughts, words
and actions. With Christ abiding in us, we forgive more easily, love the
unlovable, help to heal the broken-hearted and to set captives free (Luke
4:18-19).
Help
us to dedicate our time, energy, resources, and talents as a sacrifice to You,
fully pleasing You with our dedication to Your will, and not seeking our own
goals and dreams. We make Christ our whole life as we walk in your spirit at
home, in our vocation, in our church family and in our community (Colossians
3:3-4). Thank You for giving us Your Spirit to transform us, sanctify us and to
give us the mind of Christ.
Thought
for the Day:
Putting
on the mind of Christ in every situation that we face allows us to walk in the
Spirit in the center of God's will for each moment of our day; we are surrendering
to His will rather than our own will, walking out our sanctification by the
hand of God's Spirit, and looking forward to our glorification as we abide in God's
presence now and throughout eternity.
