Sharing Life and Christ

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus… Philippians 2:5 Peter answered Him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same. Matthew 26:33-35 And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. Luke 22:60b-62 Perhaps these verses seem strange under the title of this message. If I had seen them before today, I would have thought them strange too. What does Peter’s denial of Christ have to do with the mind of Christ? Hopefully, we can look to these two gospels together for that...

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus... Philippians 2:5 This very well could turn into a multipart entry. There is so much to consider and unpack in Philippians chapter 2 that I scarcely know where to begin. However, I believe that verse 5 is the most important verse in the chapter and potentially the most important verse in Paul’s letter to the church of Philippi. Every other verse in chapter 2 needs to be considered in the light of verse 5. There are two major themes emerging from Paul’s words. The first is the necessity of unity within the body of Christ. In verse 2, Paul tells the people to complete his joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord, and having one mind. I imagine unity to be important if Paul repeats himself four times in one verse! There is a great need to be unified in our thinking as God’s chosen people. To further drive this point home, Paul gives four examples of this unified thinki...

He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30 Behold the words of John the Baptist, who Jesus said was the greatest man to ever be born of a woman ( Luke 7:28 ). They are a far cry from what I would naturally expect to hear from the manliest man of all time. I scramble eggs; John ate locusts. I wear Asics; John strapped some animal hide to his feet. I have shelter, running water, and electricity; John lived in the wilderness. But perhaps the greatest contrast that is becoming more apparent to me between me and the Baptist is the reality that I often desire to exalt myself while John’s deepest desire was to exalt Jesus Christ. This realization has come in a most-surprising way. While I don’t walk around thinking of ways to get the glory, my reactions to people tell me that my heart is not about exalting Christ nearly as much as it should be. Let me try and explain. I have seen this prideful tendency in relationships, especially the relationships that matter most...

It is truly a blessing that I can turn to writing for so many profitable reasons. I love sharing what God has revealed to me through His Word. I love being vulnerable and open about the real issues that I face as a Christian in this world. I love sharing my heart with whoever may read my thoughts. Good or bad, easy or hard, highs or lows, rejoicing or weeping, I am thankful for the opportunities to express my heart through writing. What a gracious gift of God! What an undeserved treasure! I guess I am writing today (way past my bedtime) in one of the lowest points of my life. The reasons for this valley are not important. They are secondary to the real burden that is on my heart. I have so often prayed asking God to do whatever it takes to make me more like Jesus Christ. I boldly proclaim before the throne, “Do whatever it takes, God, to make me like your Son, Jesus. I am ready for it. Bring it on!” I sit here in tears saying that perhaps for the first ...

Since arriving in Japan on the 21st, I've been studying the fruits of the Spirit and considering what each might look like in my life. I guess you could say that my New Year's resolution is to grow in godly character, so I figured that learning about the fruit that I am supposed to produce would be a good place to start! It has been a very good study and one that has brought its share of encouragement as well as conviction. This morning's study was particularly blessed, which is why I am writing. It is my hope that these meditations on patience might encourage and convict you as they have done for me. May we all strive to be those who by abiding in Christ bear much fruit. I have been pondering two separate aspects of the fruit of the Spirit. First, I have been considering how Christ embodied the fruit. Second, I have been considering how Christ's example should be lived out in my life. There are two passages that I considered that help explain the patience of G...