Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. —Philippians 2:5

To take on the mind of Christ is to adapt an attitude of expendability. By attitude I mean perspective. Paul said he took upon himself "the very nature of a servant." Jesus saw Himself as a servant the whole time He lived. In a word: meekness. Quiet obedience, making no protest. It was a lifestyle. It was His pursuit. This brings us to a question: Do we want the mind of Christ to be in us? How much do we want it? For Jesus it was a perspective, a passion, a pursuit. He lived this way.

Now, some may say, "Well, I did that once; I know what that is." But with Jesus it was an ongoing lifestyle, and we too are called to this lifestyle from now on. It is one thing to have a week of living like this; it's another to make it a lifestyle. Some may say, "I don't have to live this way now; I have paid my dues." We will never have the mind of Christ in us until this becomes a perspective that is a lifestyle with which we are going to live twenty-four hours a day, every day of our lives. No change!

To get a little closer to the meaning, we must look at what this attitude involves. Essentially, it is a self-emptying attitude. Jesus relinquished what rightfully belonged to Him. Are we like that? Are we always so concerned about our reputation that what people think of us is so important? Yet there is one who made Himself of no reputation.

We think ourselves so important—"Well, I've got to be there," "I'm needed," "What will happen if I'm not there?"—and we become sensitive and easily offended. We wear our egos—and our feelings—on our sleeves. Anything can upset us. This is because we do not think of ourselves as being expendable. But Jesus, who was the greatest gift there ever was to the human race, made no such claims. He humbled Himself even to death on a cross. Greatness is having this conviction of self-expendability.

In Christ,
Mike

Psalm 141:1-10 David knew how important the words we speak are. Throughout the Psalms, he prays for God to help him control his tongue. He prays in this psalm, "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips" (v. 3).

What a great prayer to pray daily. We learn in James that no man can control his own tongue, nor can he tame it. Only the Holy Spirit is able to train and tame our tongues. Proverbs tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. James speaks of the tongue as an unruly small member of the body that has great power. "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame: it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be (James 3:5-10, KJV).

Since no man can tame the tongue, we must submit this unruly member of our bodies to the Holy Spirit daily. If we have the desire to order our conversations aright all the day long, we must pray as David did: "Lord, set a guard over my tongue." When people speak unkindly about others, I am so tempted to say to them, "Watch out; your heart is showing." We speak what is in our hearts, and sometimes it is horrifying to discover how wicked our hearts can be.

One of the keys to ordering our conversation aright daily is to listen more than we talk. This is why the Lord gave us two ears and only one mouth. First we need to listen intently to the Holy Spirit as He seeks to direct our conversations. Have you ever been about to say something, and suddenly you hear the still quiet voice of the Holy Spirit within you say, "Don't say that." If we have prayed for Him to watch our conversations then we need to be listening carefully for His instructions during the day. Second, we need to listen with understanding to the person who is speaking to us. Their words will reveal their heart, and the Holy Spirit can reveal what is in their heart to you. Often people are critical and negative in their conversations because they are hurting or fearful. Pray quietly as you listen to others, and the Holy Spirit will then give you a healing edifying word to speak to that person you are listening to. You have the words of life to share with someone today. Let the Holy Spirit order your conversations today.

In Christ,
Mike

But I tell you: Love your enemies. ... If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? —Matthew 5:44, 46

Jesus instructs us to overcome our enemies, not by showing everybody how wrong they were, nor by matching their hatred with ours, but by loving them.

This brings us back to the matter of choice. Love is not what you feel. Forgiving is not doing what comes naturally. It is often said, "You can't help what you feel." We therefore ask, does the choice to love involve repressing or denying our feelings? No. Repression is almost never a good thing to do. But love is a conscious choice to forgive—even if you don't feel like it! If you wait until you feel it, you probably never will forgive. You must do it because it is right, because of a choice you have made that is not based on your feelings.

The paradox in total forgiveness is that it simultaneously involves selfishness and unselfishness. It is selfish—in that you do not want to hurt yourself by holding on to bitterness. And it is unselfish in that you commit yourself to the well-being of your enemy! You could almost say that total forgiveness is both extreme selfishness and extreme unselfishness. You are looking out for your own interests when you totally forgive, but you are totally setting your offender free.

Even the non-Christian understands the benefits of forgiveness in a physical and emotional sense. This surely leaves all of us without excuse. If a non-Christian is able to forgive others, how much more should the Christian follow a lifestyle of forgiveness?

As Christians we have no choice. We forfeit our fellowship with God and blessings here below when we don't forgive. If we have been forgiven of all our sins—and this includes even the sins we have forgotten about—how dare we withhold this from others?

In Christ,
Mike

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. —2 Corinthians 12:10

Have you a rival now? Is there somebody bugging you? Is there somebody needling you? Is there somebody trying to get your goat—or have they already got your goat? If you think long and hard about this, and you dwell on it, it could destroy you. There's no guarantee that the devil will overreach himself if we become full of self-pity and develop a judgmental spirit. It is then that the devil will be saying, "Oh, it's working! It's working!" Don't let that happen.

God trusts us in letting us have an enemy so that if we respond in the right way, we will be so much better off.

Satan works through our enemies to defeat us, but if we react without grieving the Holy Spirit, then the result will be that it will refine us, not defeat us.

Has it occurred to you that God would want reconciliation between you and your enemy? The heart of God is reconciliation. Here are three principles of reconciliation.

First, if reconciliation is delayed—that there is no chance of reconciliation at the moment—then be sure it's not your fault. Paul said, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Rom. 12:18). Do everything that you can do to embrace that person.

Second, your enemy today might be your friend tomorrow. Be sure, therefore, that you show such love to that person now, for you may become friends later.

Third, pray for your enemy. How do you pray for them? You must not pray that God will deal with them or punish them, but you must pray for them to be blessed

In Christ,
Mike

God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart. —2 Chronicles 32:31

When Jesus said, "Love your enemies," He assumed that we would have one or more, and most people do. Sadly, many, if not most of them, will be from within the community of faith. Certainly Jesus assumed this, and nothing has really changed. Much persecution comes from those who claim to believe in God as much as you do. And yet the issues between you may not be theological. You enemy may simply not like you!

The origin of such enmity may be explained almost entirely in terms of the flesh. For example, your enemy may just not be able to cope with your being the way you are or with your being on a particular side of a certain question or issue. It is usually no fault of your own.

They could be angry with God for blessing you or for putting you where you are. You have that prestigious job. It pays well. You are admired by your boss and the people in your office. God has blessed you with certain talents and gifts. There will always be someone who will be jealous and seek to bring you down. If you have been blessed with a good reputation, do not be surprised if someone resents it. Unfortunately, your enemy doesn't know that he or she is probably actually angry with God.

The ultimate reason you and I have an enemy is that it fits God's purpose. Why? It is what we need. It helps to humble us lest we take ourselves too seriously. An enemy shows us what we are like.

So don't be angry with your enemy! It is God who is at work on your heart!

In Christ,
Mike

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. —Colossians 3:15

We show gratitude by respecting those God has put over us. Said Paul: "Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other" (1 Thess. 5:13). Moreover, "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith" (Heb. 13:7).

Thanking God is manifested by doing good works such as helping when it is needed. The King James Version refers to the gift of "helps" or, in the New International Version, "those who are able to help others" (1 Cor. 12:28). This can include such things as visiting the sick, the widow, those in prison, or the helpless (James 1:27). It includes feeding the poor (James 2:6, 14) or giving someone a ride to church. It may mean doing things in your church that nobody wants to do: cleaning up, helping with flowers, whatever needs to be done, or whatever makes your pastor's job easier and so that 20 percent of the people won't be doing nearly all the work.

For what are you grateful? If you cannot think of things to show how thankful you are, take the time to make a "praise" list!

Here are some suggestions to begin with: (1) for salvation: God sending His Son to die on  a cross; (2) that He gave you faith; (3) your church—that person who had a hand in leading you to Christ; (4) your minister whose preaching and pastoring feeds your soul; (5) your job—your income; (6) your health; (7) the Bible; (8) what God is doing for you today and what He did for you yesterday. When you begin to count your blessings, you will see that the list is endless! For there is no end to the list by which we can demonstrate our gratitude to God

In Christ,
Mike

[Love] is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. —1 Corinthians 13:5

First Corinthians 13, the great love chapter of the Bible, is a perfect demonstration of the cause and effect of total forgiveness. The apex of this wonderful passage is the phrase found in verse 5: Love "keeps no record of wrongs." The Greek word that is translated as "no record" is logizomai, which means to not reckon or impute. This word is important to Paul's doctrine of justification by faith. For the person who believes, their faith is "credited" to them as righteousness (Rom. 4:5).

This is the same word used in 1 Corinthians 13:5. It is turned around in Romans 4:8, again using the same word: "Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." Therefore, not to reckon, impute, or "count" the wrongs of a loved one is to do for that person what God does for us, namely, choose not to recognize their sin. In God's sight our sin no longer exists. When we totally forgive someone, we too refuse to keep a record of their wrongs.

It must be clearly acknowledged that wrong was done, that evil took place. Total forgiveness obviously sees the evil but chooses to erase it. Before a grudge becomes lodged in the heart, the offense must be willfully forgotten. Resentment must not be given an opportunity to set in. The love described in 1 Corinthians 13 can only come by following a lifestyle of total forgiveness.

Love is a choice. It is an act of the will. When we learn to forgive and practice forgiveness, He rewards us with an incredible peace and the witness of the Spirit in our hearts

In Christ,
Mike

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. —Proverbs 15:1

Jesus asks, "How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?" (Matt. 7:4). He is assuming we are rational, sensible people who would immediately see through the inconsistency of meddling in another's affairs. The assumption is this: If we have no plank in our own eyes, it would not be unreasonable for us to offer help. But when we have a plank and still meddle, our fault is far worse than theirs. Meddling is always uninvited and almost always unwelcome.

What if someone meddles in your life? How do you respond? Most of us find it hard to respond in a way that pleases God. First, He calls us to maintain a sweet spirit. Never forget: "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Prov. 15:1).

Second, we are to agree with them. Usually there is a little bit of truth in what a critic will say to us about us. Even if you can't find a way to agree, you can always say, "I see what you mean."

Third, we should thank them. This will not only defuse their irritation, but it will also enable them to save face should they be up to no good. In addition, we will avoid making an enemy unnecessarily in the process.

What we must never do when being confronted is to defend ourselves or try to impress them with how good or right we are. We must never seek to punish or get even or make them look bad. Ask them to pray for you! But do it in a noncombative manner, never sarcastically. Confess sincerely, "I need all the help I can get." The principles of total forgiveness should enable us to make friends, not lose them.

In Christ,
Mike

It is mine to avenge; I will repay. —Deuteronomy 32:35

Judging people is elbowing in on God's exclusive territory. This verse is quoted twice in the New Testament—in Romans 12:19 and Hebrews 10:30. That means that it is not your job! "That's my privilege," says God. Judging is God's prerogative, nobody else's. If we move in on His territory, God looks at us and says, "Really? You've got to be kidding." To move in on the territory of the eternal Judge will get His attention—but not the kind of attention we want!

The word godliness means "being like God," and there are certain aspects of God's character that He commands us to imitate. God wants us to walk in integrity. He wants us to walk in truth and sincerity. But there is an aspect of the character of God where there is no trespassing allowed, and the moment we begin to point our fingers at other people, we are on it—we are sinning. That aspect is being a judge.

If you and I are foolish enough to administer uncalled-for criticism, we should remember three things:

1. God is listening.

2. He knows the truth about us.

3. He is ruthlessly fair.

God has a way of exposing us just when we begin to think, There is no way that could happen to me. The Lord promises that equitable judgment will be administered. The word equitable means "fair" or "just." All of God's judgments are ruthlessly fair. At the judgment seat of Christ, before which we will all stand one day, for once in human history judgment will be fair.

Nearly every day we hear of the courts letting someone off, and we say to ourselves, "Where is the justice?" But God's justice is always fair. The question is, will it occur here in this present life or in the life to come?

In Christ,
Mike

But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the Lord, "O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." But the Lord replied, "Have you any right to be angry?" —Jonah 4:1-4

When Jonah went into Nineveh (a godless nation) with his message, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned" (Jon. 3:4), the eventual result was that the king himself proclaimed a fast.

Is this because the king invited Jonah to his palace? No. Is it because the king left his palace to hear Jonah? No. It was because "the Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth" (v. 5). It began with the people. Today we use the expression "grass roots"—what ordinary people think and do. It was the people who "believed God." (It doesn't say they believed Jonah.) The consequence was that the news reached the king of Nineveh, and he got involved (v. 6). The fast in turn moved the heart of God, who had sent Jonah to Nineveh in the first place!

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. —Jonah 3:10

The whole scenario, then, was God's idea. He had looked upon a godless nation with graciousness by sending Jonah to them. The only ungracious person was Jonah himself who lost face because of his unvindicated prophecy.

God hates ingratitude. His undiluted wrath was displayed in ancient times because people who knew God did not glorify Him as God, "nor gave thanks to him" (Rom. 1:21). God notices our gratitude happily, but He also notices our ingratitude and our not remembering to thank Him.

In Christ,
Mike