In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Summary: Paul is preparing us to see something very special. He wants our hearts and minds to be open to what he is about to show us.
Paul is about to show us a portrait of Jesus. As he takes us down the hall to the gallery where the portrait waits, he reaches out his hands to us and gently speaks these words:
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”
We look back and forth at each other, wondering, “What kind of ‘mindset’ does Christ Jesus have?”
So far in Paul’s letter, he has talked about his relationship with the Philippians, and by extension, with us. He wrote about his frustrations with those who cloud the Gospel with their own thinking but concludes, “… [W]hat does it matter? The important thing is that … Christ is preached” (Philippians 1:18).
Then he talked about living a life “worthy of the Gospel” (v 27) and has recently been giving us specific guidance on how to behave.
Now he is talking about our mindset.
A “mindset” is a “mental attitude or inclination.”* This definition fits the meaning of the Greek word “phronéō” well.
An attitude is a predisposition to do things or think a certain way. For example, if attitude could do your grocery shopping, a good attitude would bring back the good, healthy food that you wanted. A bad attitude would bring back low-quality food that you don’t want in the first place.
Another example of attitude is how we drive when we come to a stop sign. People who do not respect the law ignore stop signs. (These are the people who cause a lot of wrecks and injuries.) People who respect the law stop and look before entering the intersection, even when it seems clear that there is no traffic. They know that if they cheat and ignore the stop sign even once, it affects their attitude towards stopping.
To understand the mindset of Christ Jesus, we will need to study the portrait Paul is about to show us. To copy Christ’s mindset means we will have to train ourselves to emulate Jesus in every way.
As we approach the gallery where the portrait is, we are cloaked in silence. Each person’s mind is looking ahead, wondering what the portrait of Jesus will reveal.
Application: Come to Jesus with a desire to learn.
Food for Thought: How do we control our attitude?
*“Mindset.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mindset. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
How do we control our attitude?
We are spiritual beings, given life in decaying physical bodies. At birth we live in a fascinating world where everything goes into our mouths. We exist in a state of physical hunger, and our number one priority is to satisfy the desires of these bodies in which our eternal spirits are confined.
1 Corinthians 13:11a, When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child;
1 Corinthians 11b-12, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
This desire to satisfy our flesh can continue to dominate our lives into adulthood and will be the path to total destruction for all who ignore the conviction of truth which comes from the Holy Spirit John 16:7-11
Proverbs 3:5-6 advises, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
2 Corinthians 10:5, We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
To exist, live in Gods will, having His attitude, we must give ourselves fully to Him and He will become the power for life in obedience to His will over our own.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
I will be in the Hospital from 5:30 am until only God knows. Minimum 6 hour surgery and into ICU for as long as the Doctor decides. Please pray as you are led and ask our Lord to provide my wife with many more great years of ministry to this world as He calls us!
Thank you, Ron!
Thank you for pointing out that giving ourselves fully to God is the way we express our belief in Jesus.
Thank you also for continuing to join us here every day while you and your wife have been preparing for tomorrow’s surgery. God bless both of you! We trust God will watch over you and Ling through every moment of what is to come.
Something I love about Christ, being in a relationship with Christ, and guidance of the Holy Spirit is the light He shows on my own thoughts. I often reflect on this as part of His grace, to expose my thoughts to me and allow me to choose between the darkness and His truth.
Oftentimes, this is an attitude changer. A moment to reflect on the origin of my attitude, and whether it comes from my flesh or does it measure up to the love of the Spirit found in His Word. In that “space of grace” He shines a light on my thoughts, and in understanding the truth of my thoughts, He allows me to choose my attitude.
1 Corinthians 2:10-13 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Chris,
Thank you for your words today. I love how you illuminate us on the feeling of being caught in God’s Light. 🙂
Blessings!
Our attitude will often respond to, or be developed by, the environment we are in. If we are watching tv and choose to watch a horror flick, chances are afterward we will be more fearful. If we watch something inappropriate, it could affect our attitude. But let’s say we choose to read Scripture instead of watching something inappropriate. Then we are more likely to have a better or at least more godly attitude. The old saying is: garbage in, garbage out. To have the same attitude as Jesus we might need to be around him and watch him.
Luke 6: 45: A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Philippians 4: 8 – 9: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Thank you, Rich!
I agree!
Our choices >> environment >> attitude >> choices.
It is kind of a vicious cycle, isn’t it? Thank God Jesus steps into the cycle and breaks it for us! When our attitude fails us, we can depend on his!