Inside Out
As we have seen, being a disciple is about following Jesus and becoming like Him.This is not easy. It is a high call.
In the passage below, Paul urges us to have the mindset of Jesus in our relationships with others. He then talks about the incredible sacrifice Jesus made, probably quoting from an early Christian hymn.
But who is equal to such a task?
Who can live up to such a high bar?
Who can manage that?
Paul gives us the secret: We need to work from the inside out.
Take the salvation you've experienced inside you and work it outward into your life.
And the good news is that God is at work in us through His Spirit.
Through His Spirit our will can be pointed in the right direction
and so can our actions.
We are not alone,
we don't have to do this by ourselves,
or in our own strength,
God is at work INSIDE us and we get to show it OUT there.
Read all about it in the passage below...
| In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death --- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed---not only in My presence, but now much more in My absence---continue to work out (outward) your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. (Philippians2:5-13) |
