Day 28 – Thursday (9/20/18)

Health Update:  Still Trucking.  Still Waiting.

Thought for the day:  This is not Burger King, you cannot have it your way.

I’m stealing the ideas for today’s thought from our Bible study last night at Church.  Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”  What does it mean to have the mind of Christ?  The first thing we need to look at is a buffet.  What is so great about buffets?  Most people will say it is the fact that you get to pick and choose what you want.  Don’t want to eat vegetables?  Want to go straight to the dessert bar?  Cool.  I give this example to say that when trying to embody the mind of Christ, it is NOT a buffet.  You cannot pick and choose what aspects of Christ you want to strive for.  You cannot say that I will be kind, but I refuse to forgive.  What you must do instead is understand what the mind of Christ consists of, and strive to embody all of it.  In a nutshell, the mind of Christ is three parts consisting of Unity, Humility, and Selflessness.  The fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 are “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.””

It is not easy to embody all of these attributes of Christ, but it is essential if you want to live a life that is truly Christ-like and one that fulfills Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 22.

Dear heavenly Father, it is hard for any human to fully grasp and display all of the characteristics of Christ.  For me, there are some that come easy, and others that are difficult.  I suspect we are all like that.  I pray that You would help each of us in the areas we are weak, so that we may better represent Christ in our daily lives.  Help us to truly love You with all of our heart, soul, and mind.  Help us to truly love our neighbors as ourselves.  I pray for my doctor’s appointment tomorrow that everything will go according to Your will.  I also pray for a lady that came across the prayer chain who is also having a biopsy on a mass that was recently found.  I pray that she would look to You throughout the process, and that You would grant her peace of mind.  Thank You Lord for all that You do, Amen.