It Begins With the Mind by David Jeremiah

It Begins With the Mind  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 2:5 It was a nineteenth-century Englishman, Charles Colton, who left us this oft-quoted aphorism: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” While flattery is not a biblical goal, wisdom and success are. And the apostle Paul knew that young Christians could gain wisdom quickly by having good models: the apostles (Philippians 4:9) and Christ Himself (Philippians 2:5).

Recommended Reading: Philippians 2:6-8

What was it that Christians were to imitate? In Christ, it was His humility of mind and heart. In the apostles, it was their minds that were centered on things that were true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Jesus humbled Himself by leaving heaven and coming to earth as a man. So, Paul’s exhortation is obvious: We should humble ourselves and serve one another just as Christ did. But it all begins in the mind. When we consider (think about) what Christ did in order to serve us…such understanding motivates us to imitate Him. Paul exhorted the Roman Christians to renew their minds as a way of discerning the will of God: Christ-likeness (Romans 12:2).  Fill your mind daily with the Word of God in order that your life might become an imitation of His.