Praying To Think And Act Like Jesus

We are nearing the end of Week 5 of Lent. In fact, Sunday is Palm Sunday and we then begin to mark the days we call Holy Week – thinking about the events as Jesus came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey, His various actions in the early days of the week and then His trial and crucifixion followed by a time of mourning by His followers before Jesus gloriously rose again from the dead.  So much packed into one week.  Our heads are almost spinning as all of these events move along.

But today I thought it would be good to ask the question, why?  Why consider it all?  Jesus has done what needed doing.  We don’t have to understand it all in order to accept His free gift of grace and salvation.  Fact is, no matter how hard we try we will actually never understand it to its depths.  So, why make the effort to understand what is difficult and impossible to grasp?

I think the challenge for me comes in these verses.  It’s a slightly longer passage than we sometimes read in these few moments together, but hang in there with me.  I think you’ll understand as you listen:

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.  You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,  to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:1-11

The only way for us to live as God has created us to live is to be changed so our lives look like the life of Jesus Christ.  If we are to experience encouragement from belonging to Him, the comfort of His love and fellowship with others, we need to have tender and compassionate hearts that reach across divides to love and work with others.

We’re all flawed human beings.  We all know some things and need to learn from others in significant ways in other areas.  We all tend towards self-centeredness and selfish ambition unless we intentionally take an interest in others and see their lives and our part in lifting them up as more important than protecting our own self-interests. 

Fifty years ago we might have said.  Of course.  Today in the 21^st century, those ideas are startling and challenging to the perspectives and lives of many.   If we don’t put our needs and rights at the front of the line who else will and how will we survive? If we don’t live to impress others how are we ever going to get a job and have any influence in our sphere of interaction? 

It takes the shocking lifestyle of Jesus Christ, what motivated Him, what happened to Him, the choices He made along the way to awaken us from the stupor of self-will and pleasure seeking that have us mindlessly moving from one broken set of circumstances to another.

Lord Jesus, We see that we must have the same attitude as You had.  We know we must see what that was.  We must allow our hearts and minds to be startled by how clear and purposeful Your choices were, even as the unfair, unjust, painful and destructive choices of others stacked up against You.

Though You were God You didn’t force anyone to treat You as a privileged person.  You willingly gave up Your rights, Your comfort, and Your life to come as a human and die in our place.

Oh Lord, we find it so difficult to be thought of and treated differently than what we know ourselves to be.  It’s hard to give up even a few of our comforts and rights, let alone all of them, in order to follow the plan of our Heavenly Father.  Lord, help us to see beyond today, beyond what we have today, beyond what others are saying or doing today.  Help us to see and do what Jesus did, to look to You and Your heart and seek Your will and way in all things, trusting that even as things seemed to go horribly wrong, they were actually being used by You for exactly what You knew was needed to bring about Your glorious plan of salvation.

Oh God, Jesus has been elevated to the place of highest honor and You have given Him the name above all other names, that everyone will ultimately bow to.  His every action brought glory to You.  We say that we want our lives to do that but when it costs us, we find that pretty hard.  Help us to move in that direction today.  Work in us Holy Spirit so we are changed more into the likeness of Jesus as we meditate on His great love, selfless humility, and amazing sacrifice.  Amen