Third Sunday Meditation: Putting On The Mind Of Christ

"Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned

for not merely your own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Let this same attitude and purpose and humble mind be in you

which was in Christ Jesus: Let Him be your example in humility:

Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God,

possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God, did

not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped

or retained.  But stripped Himself of all privileges and rightful dignity

so as the assume the guise of a servant, so that He became like men

and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form,

He abased and humbled Himself still further and carried His obedience

to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!

Therefore, because He stooped so low, God has rightly exalted Him

and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,

That at the name of Jesus every knee must bow in heaven and on earth

and under the earth, And every tongue, frankly and openly confess

and acknowledge that Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2:5-11

The Servant

Yongsung Kim

Korean artist

THE PROBLEM

I stood in the upstairs hallway, looking down over the bannister

and waiting for the younger children to come in for their baths.

My oldest daughter, taking a piano lesson, was in the living room

directly below, and the repetitive melody she was playing

echoed through my mind.

Suddenly, the little ones bounded through the door. They

bounced up to their rooms, cheeks flushed and eyes bright from their play.

I noticed, however, that one of my young sons was trudging slowly

up the stairs, his head bowed, grubby hands covering his small,

dirt-streaked face. When he reached the top, I asked him what was wrong.

"Aw, nothing," he replied.

"Then why are you holding your face in your hands?" I persisted.

"Oh, I was just praying."

Quite curious now, I asked what he was praying about.

"I can't tell you," he insisted, "because if I do, you'll be mad."

After much persuasion, I convinced him that he could confide in me

and that, whatever he told me, I would not get mad. So he explained

that he was praying about a problem he had with his mind.

"A problem with your mind?" I asked, now more curious than ever,

wondering what kind of a problem a child of six could have with his mind.

"What kind of problem?"

"Well," he said, "You see, every time I pass by the living room, I see my

piano teacher, and my tongue sticks out."

Needless to say, it was hard to keep a straight face, but I took his problem

seriously and assured him that God could, indeed, help him with it.

Later, on my knees beside the bathtub as I bathed this little fellow,

I thought how I still struggle with the problems of controlling my mind

and my tongue. That afternoon as I knelt to scrub that sturdy little body,

the tub became my altar; the bathroom, my temple.

I bowed my head, covered my face, and acknowledged that, like my son,

had a problem with my mind and tongue. I asked the Lord to forgive me

and to give me more and more the mind and heart and attitude of Christ.

What Sin Does God Hate The Most?
A teaching by Derek Prince
(1915-2003)
British Bible teacher

"The Problem"

A devotional written by

Gigi Graham Tchividjian

(1945-   

American writer

Oldest daughter of Reverend Billy and Ruth Graham