Thinking like Jesus

Let me start by giving credit for what follows to Jerry Stratton, a retired minister who publishes a daily message. Perhaps some day he will post these himself but until then he has graciously given permission to post his messages on our blog when they seem appropriate. I found this message meaningful and I hope you all do also.

THINKING LIKE JESUS

"Let this mind (attitude ) be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5 KJV)

If we could only learn to think like Jesus and have the same attitude as Jesus, all our problems in living like Jesus would be solved. However, before we can begin to think like Jesus, we must have the desire to do so. Before the "how to" must come the "want to." How is your "want to" coming along this Morning?

Prior to Jesus leaving this earth and ascending back into heaven, he made some fantastic promises. Among them was the promise that he would always be with us in the form of his Holy Spirit. It is this indwelling Spirit that gives us the ability to think like Christ by helping us to understand the mind of Christ as revealed in God's Word -- to understand how Jesus thought and acted.

Having said this, what was the mind of Christ really like while he was here on earth? Well, he humbled himself and was willing to give up all his own rights as God by coming to earth to save people from their sins as the Father had planned. He accepted the role of, and had the heart of, a servant. He made himself nothing so that he could be everything to you and me. He is the supreme example of humility. Likewise, we should be humble servants living our lives for the good of others.

If we allow it, the Spirit of God will give us the mind of Christ. He will teach us to get outside our selfishness and into lives of others. One of God's primary purposes for the church is to build bridges of love to the people who need Christ. In John 20:21, Jesus said, "As the Father has sent me, so I'm sending you." We must give up the idea that the church is some sort of fortress to protect us from the world and to make us comfortable and cozy with friends who look like us, think like us, talk like us, act like us, and maybe even smell like us. It's true that the church can be a place of comfort and security, but Jesus commissioned the church (Christians) to go where it is uncomfortable -- our there where the people are -- where the action is.

When we begin to think like Jesus, we will have a love like his for hurting people, regardless of ethnic, economic, or social status. Jesus loved and touched people where they were. "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36 NIV). Jesus was referring to the sick, hungry, and naked -- those with desperate physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Finally, when we begin to think like Jesus, we will adopt his methods in dealing with people. In Luke 6:36, Jesus tells us to "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." When we think like Jesus, we will not say, "come to our church," but rather, "we're coming to you." Rodney Stark was puzzled about how the early Christians, a group of marginalized and persecuted people, were able to touch so many. In his study he concluded: "Their sacrifices released an explosion of light the world had never known."

When we think like Jesus, we will not hate our enemies, but love them. We will not explode in anger at those who are evil, but reach out in love to touch them. Jesus taught the early Christians to love and give more than they would ever receive in return. They refused to hide in safety. Their radical love was followed by selfless good deeds. Any act of kindness, no matter how large or small, says there's a God who loves you -- and I love you too.