Having the Mind of Christ

A post form Pastor Kathy:

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, ... who...humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:1-5,8)

What does is mean to be a Christian? Does it make us different from those around us? The "American Way" is still Christian isn't it? Recent military recruiting slogans run through my mind: "Be all you can be", "Be an Army of One." Paul makes it clear in his letter to the Philippians that being a Christian means to be an imitator of Christ who willingly died for others. (Somehow this is not my picture of the American corporate model.)

To be a Christian is to be part of a community called together by God through Christ. The glue that holds us together is love -- the love that we receive from God and that we share with each other. Sharing in the Spirit of God, we are to put the concerns of others ahead of our own. The people who choose a congregation to join on the basis of what it can do for them actually have it backward! Think about it, relationships that work are not one sided. Friendships or marriages are not successful if only one person's needs are met. Congregations are not healthy if all the members are there to take rather than give. Healthy congregations work together in God's love to seek ways to serve God in this world just as Jesus did.

The paradox is that by putting others first, we receive far more than we give. Love is something that grows the more we share it. It is like a muscle that strengthens with exercise. The more we love, the more lovable we become.