Philippians 2:5 (KJV)
⁵Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

There was a 2001 film entitled, “A Beautiful Mind,” about a mathematical genius by the name of John Forbes Nash played by Russell Crowe.  I did not see the movie so I cannot offer any insight into the mind of John Nash, but I can say the most beautiful mind you could ever have is the mind of Christ.

Philippians 2:5 reminds us of what it means to be a Christian.  As Christians, we must be as much like Christ as we can be, and that begins with learning to have the same attitude and disposition in our daily lives that He possessed.  In any words, we must learn to think as He did.

The importance of our minds can hardly be overstated.  The way we think determines how we live.  Jesus put it like this.

Matthew 15:19 (KJV)
¹⁹For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

These terrible sins begin in the heart before they are ever executed outwardly.  How we think is clearly important.  Later on in the Epistle to the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Philippians 4:8).

Jesus had a beautiful mind because it was free from sin.  While we cannot morally match the mind of Christ, we can try our best to do so.  Jesus’ thought process began with desiring to please His Father.

John 8:29 (ESV)
²⁹And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

One does not always do what is pleasing to God by accident.  Once Jesus entered into a submission role to the Father, as a part of God’s scheme of redemption, He was always obedient (Hebrews 5:8).  He obeyed God perfectly because he desired to please Him.  John earlier wrote, “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34).

We must have a similar mindset.  To have the mind of Christ is to desire to please God in everything that we do.  No, we will not be perfect like our Savior, but having such a mindset will lead us to be faithful to God.  When we sin, this desire to please Him will cause us to repent and ask Him for forgiveness (1 John 1:9), and His grace will take care of the rest.

Another example of the mind of Christ was His attitude toward sin—He just could not tolerate it.  Sin angered Him.  Remember when He cleansed the temple (John 2:13-17), driving out the moneychangers and overthrowing their tables?  He could have ignored the situation, seeing how it was, by that time, a long-standing practice of the Jews, but His hatred of sin would not allow Him to do it.

What is your mindset when it comes to sin?  Do you have the mind of Christ?  Paul said that we must not only cleave to what is good, but we should also abhor evil (Romans 12:9).  When we are not bothered by sin, compromising with it is just around the corner.

Let us make sure we are thinking the way Jesus thought.  He not only had the right attitude toward God and sin, but His love for man was obvious as well.  He loved us enough to die for us.  Have the mind of Christ, and your relationship with God will be wonderful now, and your future will include a home in heaven.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.