Glory
through
Sacrifice:
A Reflection on the Posture of Christ
Day 1 of 7: A Matter of Attitude
Philippians 2:5-11 (NRSV)
[5] Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
[6] who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
[7] but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
[8] he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.[9] Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
[10] so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
[11] and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5 (NRSV)
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”
We’ve all got an attitude problem.
Attitude is the internal emotional and mental lens through which we view our lives. Our culture has conditioned us to embrace certain attitudes as the normative ways we should walk through life—we should seek to climb the ladder of success, we should seek to make six figures, we should seek to have lives worthy of many Instagram followers. When those become the goals we’re seeking, the way we view and live our lives shifts. We become self-centered, believing the lie that our lives are all about us and the materials we can pile up.
In the beginning of this famous passage of Paul’s letter to the Church at Philippi, he begins with a command: ‘Adopt the attitude of Jesus.’ This command calls all of us who seek to orient our lives around Christ to step back and review the lens through which we’re seeing our lives and our world; and we’re called to ask whether we’re living according to the “patterns of this world” or if we are living in line with the renewed reality Jesus called the “Kingdom of God.”
If our attitude is bent towards self-centeredness, we’re distancing ourselves from the abundant life God desires for us. But when we posture our lives toward the example of Jesus, we unlock the subversive key to lasting fulfillment and joy.
Spirit of Love, may you give me eyes to see the ways in which I am posturing my life against the way and wisdom of Jesus, and help guide my thoughts and steps to walk nearer to the way of abundant life. Amen.