In his heartfelt letter to the church in Philippi, apostle Paul admonishes the church on how to live as Christians, as saints of the Lord called to purposeful living. Amidst his many words of wisdom in Philippians chapter two, I find verse two profound and powerful. The New Living translation breaks it down for us and helps us to see it in such great light; it says:
You must have the same attitude that Jesus Christ had
Philippians 2:5
When faced With Temptation:
Although Apostle Paul spoke about our relationships with one another in this verse, this same energy can and should be translated into our various relationships starting with our relationship with God. Joseph was a young man when he was faced with the temptation to fornicate with his boss’s wife. He could have easily succumbed to the temptation with the hopes that his boss’s wife would help him get out of poverty “quick”. In between the deep blue sea and the devil, young Joseph acknowledged and reverenced his relationship with God. He said to Potiphar’s wife, “There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” – Genesis 39:9. Not only did he take into cognizance his relationship with God but also his relationship with his boss – Potiphar. He just could not stand to do such grave wickedness to his boss and even more his father in heaven.
When overcome with Temptation:
Before you take that action, do you consider how God would feel about it? Do you consider the repercussions it might have on the recipient(s) of action? Only if David had thought things through before he slept with Bathsheba, he wouldn’t have shed the innocent blood of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. But thank God for His mercies that are new every morning. Nonetheless, we shouldn’t take His mercies for granted to the extent that there is no remorse and repentance for bad behavior. King David felt great remorse and repented his grave actions as soon as he realized what he had done. This is the same mind and attitude we should have once we realize we have fallen into any form of sin- remorse and repentance is the right attitude to have
When We Are Hurt By Friends, Family, or the Church:
Jesus Christ was the sweetest man to live on earth, He showed love everywhere He went. Yet, His close friends betrayed Him, denied Him, and the church crucified Him. Nonetheless, Jesus’ response to them was forgiveness. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”- Luke 23:34. This is the same attitude expected of us as Christians- to forgive easily just as God has forgiven us our sins.
When You Feel Overwhelmed:
Although overwhelmed by the reality of going to the cross, Jesus Christ still had the mindset and attitude to do all that God wanted Him to do. He prayed to the Lord with sincerity saying to Him that He would love for the cup to pass over but God’s perfect will be done. In those moments when we might feel overwhelmed, I pray we maintain the same attitude as Jesus did
As We Live Through Life:
Apostle Paul admonishes us to do all things from a place of love, void of selfish ambition and strife. This is the attitude Jesus Christ had and this is the same attitude we should keep. The list of things we go through in life goes on and on but as I wrap up this blog post, I would love to encourage us to spend time in God’s word. A good place to start may be the book of Philippians or Ephesians. Both books give us a solid template for living life as designed by God. As we study the word of God with Help from the Holy Spirit, we become transformed and empowered by the power of God’s living word to live our lives just as Jesus Christ did.