A Matter of Choice

“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2fulfill 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.
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 2:1-8)

Paul instructed the believers at Philippi to put on the very mindset and attitude that Christ Himself exhibited. Paul never instructs the people of God to do something unless: (1) they are not currently doing it, or (2) there’s a high probability that they may stop doing it. In other words, he doesn’t exhort someone to take on a particular mindset, unless there is an option and choice for them not to take on that particular mindset and attitude. Paul understands all too well that often our human deposition leans towards selfish ambitions, vain conceit, looking out for number one, and spending enormous amounts of energy preserving our personal interests. Paul made careful that we understood something very vital, putting on this type of mindset and attitude was something that Christ Himself also made a choice to do. Moreover, the very one who was in the very nature of God, who had all the right in the world to make claim on divinity, chose to lay it down for the sake of others.

The passage from Philippians 2:1-8 is one that is often quoted, but rarely implemented. Paul never assumed that a follower of Christ would automatically walk with the same mindset and attitude of Christ, rather he instructed them that they would have to make a daily decision to put on that type of mindset. It is through these daily decisions that one is transformed into a Christlike servant.



Take it Deeper...

What are some areas of your life where you need Christ to help you put on the same attitude that He displayed?

“Late have I love you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you. . . .
You were with me, and I was not with you.” [i]
(St. Augustine)

It occurred in Northern Virginia, probably on his last visit there. A young mother brought her baby to him to be blessed. He took the infant in his arms and looked at it and then at her and slowly said, “Teach him he must deny himself.”[ii]








[i] Augustine, Confessions, 145 (10.27.38).
[ii] Of Robert E. Lee, Douglas Southall Freeman, in Lee, quoted in Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p.54.