One Love. One Spirit. One Mind. One Purpose. [pt 2]

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to —even 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 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:1-11

Philippians 2 is one of the greatest and most studied chapters in the Bible. Volumes of books have been written about verses 5-11 alone. Here the Scripture points to Christ and on'es relationship to Him as foundational for both thinking and behavior. Christ is everything and your relationship to Him has undeniable and essential implications. Here are 4 simple yet vital applications to cultivate our life with Christ, a life of one love, one spirit, one mind, and one purpose.

I will now continue what was started in part 1, starting with "one mind".

[One Mind]
Recognize the necessity of humility. Think about how many times a day you talk about yourself. Are you truly displaying a greater sense of humility everyday in everything? It's a hard thing to do, trust me. As a unified body of Christ, which I referred to in part 1, God has called us to live a different life than those around us. He called us to live a life of humility. His example? Yet again we return to the cross. Interesting isn't it? For God to become man, He to humble himself so low to become man, lower than the worms of the earth I heard someone once say. Because it was Jesus, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to —even on a cross! " Humility as described here, is essentially the bedrock of our spiritual lives. We can't live a God-honoring life without it. It is yet another vital necessity for life with Christ.

[One Purpose]
Recognize that the whole world is watching. Yes, even though you think nobody notices you do this or that, the whole world will be able to tell who you are by your actions and your words. We are called to be a "light in a dark world". Why? Because "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 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." That is the ultimate goal. What are we doing to allow His light shine through us? This is where the relationship comes in yet again. If we don't have a steadfast connection with Christ, how are we able to receive a good enough signal from Christ to shine through every moment of our lives? As you can see, it's all about the relationship. Not just every now and then, but a continual relationship. A relationship similar to the one with your boyfriend/girlfriend, or your father/mother, or simply your closest friends. 2 Peter 1:3-4 explains that "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

Use these truths to help eachother grow closer to Christ. For if there is someone you know who is not very good at keeping steady relationships, I'm probably worse than they are. God has taught me a lot about Him and what he expects of each and everyone of us who are bound by the "unbreakable contract of grace". Praise Him for His love and mercy! He sacrificed Himself for us, so let's live for Him.

One Love. One Spirit. One Mind. One Purpose. [pt 1]

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became 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 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:1-11

Philippians 2 is one of the greatest and most studied chapters in the Bible. Volumes of books have been written about verses 5-11 alone. Here the Scripture points to Christ and on'es relationship to Him as foundational for both thinking and behavior. Christ is everything and your relationship to Him has undeniable and essential implications. Here are 4 simple yet vital applications to cultivate our life with Christ, a life of one love, one spirit, one mind, and one purpose.

[One Love]
Recognize the power of salvation. Ever thought about how powerful God is? How he himself created the world? Now apply that power to the act he performed on the cross through His Son Jesus Christ. How great, how awesome, and how marvelous it is to think of such power in the cleansing of our sins; that He died so we might live IN Him. I struggle everyday to make time to spend with my maker. If I would only think about how much Christ sacrificed me, would I be more inspired and motivated to spend time everyday in the Word? The answer lies in the above verse. "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." If we truly have been saved by this awe-inspiring display of power, how much more is it going to take for us to "make our joy complete" by spending time with Christ every day?

[One Spirit]
Recognize the importance of unity. We are all joined together, bound in the fact that we have all been washed in the blood of Christ. So why do we let the things of the world define us? Why do we go around living our lives as one big attempt to "fit in" or "go with the flow" or be "accepted"? Shouldn't we be more concerned with what God's plan for our lives are, not simply what we want to do? I've heard many people say that they just "wanna have fun". Of course, there's nothing wrong with "having fun", for there is a time and place to "just have fun". It's when "having fun" gets in the way of our overall purpose - to glorify God and seek His will for our lives. When I hear this specific phrase, most people interpret it as, "ahh, I just want to live life to the fullest!". But how can we live life to the fullest if we are not living IN Christ? Anyone can "live life to the fullest" by engulfing themselves in the things of this world (i.e. boyfriends, girlfriends, material substances, etc.) and truly miss living life not pursing the world, but pursuing Christ. Jim Elliot once wrote, "God, I pray, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee . . . for I seek not a long life but a full one like yours, Lord Jesus." Remember that we as Christians are bound together in one spirit.

In the next post, I will address the next half, being of one mind and one purpose. Stay strong, keep the faith, and encourage others in devotion, perseverance, and excellence pursing God's will and not our own.

Keeping the Faith

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or ness or danger or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:29-39

Sometimes you doubt your faith. Sometimes just finding five minutes for God seems like just another chore. God knows that sometimes Christians struggle in their faith. Sometimes devotions do not really seem like devotion, but work. Sometimes Christians wonder if God is even there. Here are some ways I found to keep your faith strong even when you feel a bit weak.

Remember that God is Always There. Even in the driest times, when you just don’t feel God’s presence, you need to remember that God is always there. He does not forget you. True faith is developed even when you don’t feel God.

Start a Daily Devotional, Prayer, and Relationship Time. Developing long-term habits is extremely important to maintaining your faith. Any kind of relationship won't last if it's just cultivated every once in awhile. Just like friend or boyfriend relationships, a relationship with Christ requires time and effort, except this relationship can only get better and better. A daily devotional will also keep you in the Word and enhance your prayer life. It will keep you closer to God even when you're stuggling.When the hard choices come up in your life, you'll know how to approach them, because you know the Word of God.

Get involved. Many people become apathetic over time, because they do not feel connected to a church body. Some churches may not offer ways to connect that you are interested in. Yet, there are plenty of activities on campuses and in the community. You can even look into other ministries. The more connected you are to the body of Christ, the more likely it is that you will grow and maintain your faith.

Talk to someone. If you feel separated from God or you find yourself backsliding, talk to someone. Try anyone, a pastor, a friend, or even your parents. Talk through your issues and pray with them about your struggles. They can offer great insight into how they have worked through their own struggles, even if you think they might not be interested in talking, take the chance because truly, you have nothing to lose by simply talking.

I hope these truths help to aid those who are truly struggling in their faith. All we have to do is have the faith that God is present inside us and He wants us to love Him with all our being. It simply takes initiative on our part to live as He wants us to live. No matter how bad the consequences are, no matter how bad things in our life seem to be, God always has a plan, which tends to work on our behalf, fulfilling His present and perfect will for our lives.

Here's a link to a good resource when you find yourself backsliding: http://christianity.about.com/od/practicaltools/ht/avoidbackslide.htm

Live for Christ.

Keep the Faith.

Dive Deep.