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Hear the devotional here: http://bit.ly/395h6qL
5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 NRSV)
A blessed and joyous Tuesday be yours, ConCafe Family! May this be the day you, Friend, have been waiting for! May it be filled with awe and wonder and love to share with all people!
Jesus. It's a name that means life and love to me. It's a name I have heard probably all of my life. I may not have known the Who behind the name, or the why, but when I came to know, my life changed. When I came to hear His call into ministry, the change was more dramatic and earth-shaking; through Him I came to know real love from God, from those who knew and loved God, and from those who came to love me and walk with me for many years. It also brought to me an awareness that I do not yet know all there is to know about Jesus. I laugh at declaring that I know everything about Jesus, because I know that would make Jesus laugh, too.
You might remember the days when necklaces and bracelets sold well that bore the inscription or the initials, WWJD. Remember? You might still own one. The initials stood for What Would Jesus Do? The meaning behind that phrase is long and complicated, but the bracelet and related t-shirts and the like, came from a novel that raised that question. To make a decision, to live a good life, to be a better person, to be a good husband/wife, father, son/daughter, etc., one could really bless God by asking and answering the question, "What would Jesus do?" The very first verse of this passage addresses how; "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." Some commentaries on the above WWJD phrase led to the other phrase that followed, FROG, which stands for Fully Rely on God, which is what Jesus Himself truly did while on earth; and if we would truly fully rely on God for help in making decisions and taking any sort of action, the blessings would be enormous. Having the mind of Christ, allowing God's Holy Spirit to help us in our daily living would leave no room for bad or evil or wicked decisions; we would want nothing more than to live a life that is guided and blessed by thoughts shared by the good and the positiive that comes from the Holy Spirit.
The next verse, verse 6, explains how that led Christ to see Himself as one Who did not exploit, or flaunt His being equal with God, but allowed Him to see Himself as a slave to God, born in human likeness and having the spirit to humble Himself and becoming obedient to God to the death He received on the Cross. It was that spirit that allowed God to exalt Jesus and truly hold the name of Jesus with all the power that comes with it; "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." If we know Jesus, just the mention of that name should spring in us the act of humble obedience to Him; even to the point of death should that others may live and have that which Jesus brought to the earth because of God's great love for you and me. This knowledge of Jesus made me want to know more about Him, and as a result to do more for Him. It is the reason I strive to share what little I know through these devotionals; so that you might know Him more and you might do more for Him; and through our combined efforts help those who are still "out there," might come to the knowledge that life is worth living, and giving is worth doing, and sharing is a blessing worth receiving by our doing what Jesus would have us do.
In my FaceBook posts for my Remedial Sunday School, I have been sharing the Three Simple Things that we glean from John Wesley's writings; Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. I've added to them the "exceptions" we tend to add on our own, which in themselves defeats what God wants. We all need to be reminded that our actions, our words, even our thoughts can harm others and we shouldn't. Do good; well, we easily do that for those whom we know and love, but what about others? Sometimes we say, think and do things that are not good for those who we have deemed different or not worthy of our good! And staying in love with God implies that we love ourselves in positive ways, and our neighbors in the same way. And sadly, many of us have to be reminded of this. If we have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, we would live a wonderful life that blesses others.
PRAYER: Loving God, we are ready to be filled and guided by the power of Thy Holy Spirit to have the same mind as Jesus Christ. May we not only remember What Would Jesus Do, but Do What Jesus Did; and let us always Fully Rely on God. Help us in our weaknesses and guide us to faithful and fruitful obedience that blesses You and Yours! In Christ Jesus' powerful name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Let your actions give you and what is in you away in beautiful ways!
Receive my blessings of love and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
