Great Minds Think Alike
Today’s Verse:
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ~Philippians 2:5
My wife and I have been married for 36 years. Often times, one of us will say something, and the other will say, “I was thinking the same thing!” We have a cliché that describes this. We say to the other person, “Great minds think alike.” In other words, the two people have the same conclusion about a matter. The church at Philippi was having struggles in their unity with regards to the preaching of the gospel and serving one another. Paul made some profound statements for best practices, and then used the model example of the Lord Jesus Christ to drive home how great minds think alike.
We see Jesus in His Person.
“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” Jesus became God incarnate. He always was, is, and will be God. When Paul wrote that Jesus, “being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,” he meant that Jesus was not competing with God the Father. The believers at Philippi were at strife with each other. I believe much of the strife was driven by jealousy and envy. There was a shared priority of the Father and Son concerning the Son’s ministry here on earth. In becoming a man, He would never give up any of His deity. He would at all times be 100% God while being also 100% Man. Just as there are no conflicts in the Godhead, there should be no conflicts in His body.
We see Jesus in His position.
“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” Jesus took upon Him all the weakness, frailties, and mortality of flesh without divesting Himself from being God. In essence, Jesus humbled Himself, and went from being Sovereign to being a Servant. He went from being our Maker to being our Minister. He came in a very lowly manner. We want to ascend the corporate and spiritual ladder of fame. Jesus made Himself of no reputation. There was never anyone more humble than our Jesus! The greatest humility is that nobody knows who you are, but you just keep being a servant. Servants were among the lowest class in society. Do you have a servant’s disposition similar to our Lord Jesus?
We see Jesus in His passion.
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” The key words in vs. 8 are “humbled” and “obedient.” People who live for a big name and fame have a hard time with humility and obedience. Jesus was obedient to His priority of dying for the sins of world. He could have stopped His persecutors and demanded that they bow to Him as Lord, but He did not! He came to fulfill the necessary mission of dying a cruel death on the cross for every sinner. His death was one that was substitutionary, sacrificial, and solitary. He did it for every sinner, even though sinful humanity despised Him, doubted Him, and disrespected Him. His great driver in going to the cross was His unconditional love for us. How much are you willing to sacrifice to prove your love?
We see Jesus as our Pattern.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Great minds think alike when we think like Jesus! It is our responsibility to let the mind of Christ be in us as our driver and purpose. Paul was saying that the best way we can demonstrate Christ in us is by letting this mind be in you, as it was in Christ Jesus.
Do you think like Jesus? Do you give your best like Jesus? Do you love and respect others like Jesus? Instead of complaining, fighting, and being at odds, let’s be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Look to Jesus as your Example, and remember, “Great minds think alike!”
Have a Christ-filled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Proverbs 7-9