Think and Become Like Him: Empty Yourself

Good morning! The great thing about today is we can start with a clean slate and a fresh start. We can think positive today, be a difference in someone's life today, be an example today, help someone out and be kind today and most importantly, we can think and become more like Jesus today.

As Christians, we need to be learning to think and become like Jesus every day. How do we do that? Well...how do you get to know someone better? How do you get to know your spouse or your best friend better? Well, first off you spend a lot of time with them. If you're really interested, you want to know a lot about their life. That's how we should be with Jesus. The only way we're going to get to know Him better is to spend a lot of time with Him...talk to Him! We do that by reading his life, putting ourself next to Him, seeing people the way He sees them. That's a big one! Think the way He thinks. . .

You're probably asking, "How can I think the way Jesus thinks?"  Well for one, Jesus emptied Himself. To empty oneself is to seek to do God's will at ALL costs. This is what Jesus did. He became a servant and obeyed God even to the point of death on a cross. By emptying Himself, he encouraged and provided for relationship with God. Emptying is recognizing what you have and giving it up for another. We, as Christians, need to take a lower position to serve one another. That will enable us to have a deeper relationship.

In Philippians 2, it says to Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but did not think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!  It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death--- and the worst kind of death at that---a crucifixion. And because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever.

In 1 Peter 4 it tells us simply that Jesus went through everything we're going through and more. So we need to think more like Him. Think of your sufferings as weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being dominated by what you want.

1 Peter 4:3-5 is a heavy scripture, said very plain and simple in the Message Bible. "You've already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it's time to be done with it for good. Of course, your old friends don't understand why you don't join in with the old gang anymore. But you don't have to give an account to them. They are the ones who will be called on the carpet---and before God himself!!" If your close friends and family don't want to make the same steps you are and begin to live the new life you are, that's okay. Do it any way. You make that first step. You'll be surprised who follows.

I encourage you today to change your mindset and put your time in for something that matters, and that's Jesus Christ! Learn to think like Him and you will see your life do a complete 360.


Jenny Mushegan