Have this Mind Among Yourselves

Can We Really Have the Mind of Christ?

One of my favorite passages in the New Testament is Phil. 2:5-11, which begins with these words: “Have this mind among yourselves, that you have in Christ Jesus.” Even before I quote the whole passage, I’m led to contemplate how can such a thing be: To actually live my life with Christ’s Mind inside my skull, instead of the way my mind would be without him. Something must have to happen, in order for my mind to have gotten out of the way, to desire to become a loving and humble servant instead of judging or coveting this or that person or event. Surely I would have to willingly “die” to self.

Isn’t that, in fact, what we are led to, if we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit long enough, stay open in our heart to God’s love long enough, serve others in Christ’s Holy Name long enough, our heart, our mind will be broken open. We will see that His Way is ever so much more beautiful than life without him. With our heart broken open, we will willingly die to self, so that He becomes manifest in and through our lives.

I’ve been in an untold number of Bible Studies, and led probably as many. Sometimes in that context, the conversation around the room stays at the ethereal or abstract level, as though whatever the Bible passage is that we’re considering, somehow isn’t real “out there in the world.” The words are “nice ideas,” but participants (sometimes including me) haven’t taken them into our Soul. The words haven’t transformed us yet. And so, having “the Mind of Christ” is incomprehensible.

Or maybe we catch a glimpse of that stunning beauty, but then when we return to our daily life outside the church – in the culture we live in – we lose sight of the Mind of Christ. We tend to live our lives as if we hadn’t talked about that subject at church.

There is an acronym in use today that many authors are writing about. The acronym is VUCA. It stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. This acronym is put forth as being an excellent descriptor of the culture that we live in, in today’s United States. It’s a wild ride. Authors who write about VUCA are putting forth the idea that we can change what the acronym stands for. For example, how about Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility.

There are any number of individuals, entrepreneurs, and companies who are attempting that transformation in our day, and as I write. How would you think that we, as Christians, could so “die to self,” by the power of the Holy Spirit, be a loving and humble servant, willingly accepting the Mind of Christ in our culture today, exactly the way it is right now – volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous? What do you think would happen?

There are an untold number of people out there who are living in the VUCA world in our country, who are lonely, hopeless, frightened. What would happen if more and more of us put aside our own wounds, and stepped into that world, clothed in Christ’s Mind? I know what I think. There would be hope-filled vision, more in-depth understanding, clarity produced by compassion, and agility to rise up and form new community. To alleviate the loneliness epidemic. To bring companionship. To spread Christ’s Holy Love in a culture that so badly needs it.

And yes, doing that may well bring persecution and spiritual abuse upon us. But do you know what? I’m going to work toward having the Mind of Christ every minute of every day, with every breath I have, until the day I join Him in heaven. What about you?