Your Daily Devotional for July 31, 2006

 

July 31, 2006

 

Developing the Mind of Christ

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

 

 

Philippians 2:5-8

 

 

Many children do not like the thought of going back to school, but many parents cannot wait for that day to come! Children see the long hours of sitting, writing, reading, and doing homework, while parents see it as freedom, peace, and quiet! We at Lancaster Baptist believe the goal of Christian education is to develop the mind of Christ. Jonathon Witherspoon, the first president of Princeton once stated, “Cursed be all learning that is not subservient to the cross of Christ.”

 

If we will become like Christ, we must “die to self.” This paves the way for yieldedness to the Holy Spirit. A man who has come to this place in his heart is ready to begin developing the mind of Christ. We must come to God every day and present ourselves on His altar of sacrifice. We must realize that if we do not submit to Him daily, our entire day will rest in our power instead of His and we cannot develop the mind of Christ on our own.

 

To develop the mind of Christ is to think spiritually. Romans 8:6-9 states, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

 

Many people believe that thinking spiritually means to not think about wicked things. While this is true, thinking like Christ goes much deeper. Developing the mind of Christ has to do with changing the motive of your heart. We need to have a heart that loves people and sees them as people who need a Saviour. Anyone can judge another person, but it takes a person with the mind of Christ to see that person’s need.

 

Not only should we have love for others but we are admonished to have a mind of lowliness and humility about us. That is not saying that we should think of ourselves as worthless people. We are to recognize that we are lowly sinners but that we have a Saviour who saved us and wants to use us! When we realize that God wants us to have a heart that loves others and that He wants to use us to reach others, we will willingly go and tell others of Christ. This is having the mind of Christ.

 

I would encourage you today to strive toward developing the mind of Christ. How can your own mind develop in Christ likeness?  What habits or way of thinking do you need to change today to take a step in becoming just a little more like Him? Are you so Christ-minded that you love others enough to tell them of God’s precious gift? Come to Christ every day and ask Him to develop within you the mind of Christ.

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