Love: A New Commandment - a Journey in PhilippiansSample

Thinking in Christ

Humans cannot go without oxygen for very long. The same goes for encouragement. Our lives depend on it. And like oxygen, it is something that must be breathed in. It must be received. Paul writes about “encouragement in Christ”. We’ve already heard we are “in Christ”. Even though you live in a city or region in a specific country, you have another “in” that determines your life. Your life is in Christ. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, you were “placed” in Christ. We’re part of another environment in Christ, an environment of encouragement, consolation, love, sharing in the Holy Spirit, compassion, sympathy and joy. This is the air we breathe.

But sometimes we struggle with our breathing because of our thinking. Many people think of God, not as the great Encourager but as the great Enforcer. The truth is that the Person who places the most value on your life is God. He did everything he could to create an environment of encouragement for you to flourish in. God is for you! Maybe because we think wrongly about God, we easily start thinking in the wrong way. This leads to selfish ambitions. And that pollutes the atmosphere of our world and makes encouragement a scarce commodity. Wrong thinking about God leads to wrong thinking about being human.

Only once did Jesus talk directly about his own character. “I am gentle and humble in heart,” he said (Matthew 11:29). Jesus also said when we see Him, we see the Father (John 14:9). A humble King? A Humble God?

That’s the thinking we have in Christ, says Paul. Thinking in humility. Humility is not to think less of yourself, but to think more about others. This way of thinking will take work and for this, the Holy Spirit partners with you. And Paul’s vision is when people are like-minded like this, the reality of the encouraging environment in Christ will influence the atmosphere in our world.

Reflection Question

How encouraging is the environment I am living in?

Prayer:

Father, thank you that you revealed yourself in Jesus: You are my Encourager. Holy Spirit, thank you for your partnership. Renew the way I think. Use us as your church to create environments of encouragement. In Jesus’ name. Amen.