The Apprentice and the Master
Good Afternoon Friends,
Make no mistake about this reality, as a human having the same mind as Christ, if only for a moment, brings one to a place of humility. Yes there is a transformation. If one believes, Christ brings new life and new rules, Christ rewrites history before time, in time and beyond time. But the way there brings one to ones knees…first to the reality of our sin, and then, as we mature in the faith, to a place of joy in prayer.
For the world we are told we can have only one of two perspectives… Jesus was God or he was a man. There is no in between….there is no unity…only separation. But Paul witnesses through his behavior a third option…Jesus as God, fully God and merciful and Jesus as man, fully man and humble. The emotional transformation here in this joining is one formed in, through and out of love. It is here we learn from both The Apprentice and the Master.
Scripture: If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:1-11 (NRSV)
Message: The letter to the Philippians is Paul’s most joyous letters. It is not because of his circumstances. The letter was written while he was in jail. No something profound is going on here. Paul is showing us what it means to be a devoted disciple through his entire behavior. He is sharing with us the reality that the love of Christ is growing in the world and it is a message that cannot be imprisoned. Friends we are to think of ourselves as Christ thought of himself. This takes time. So have patience and learn over time and beyond time and before time that believing gives glorious honor to God. Believing gives us the opportunity to learn something very special from the Master.
Pray without ceasing. Pray on your knees. Pray in the name of Jesus. Pray no matter what your circumstances. Pray we have daily intimate association with Master. Pray we acquire the essential skills to glorify God. Pray we abide with Christ in love. Pray we have a mind that overflows with a joy that cannot be contained in any one person.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 