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The Same Attitude

             May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Ephesians 2:5-7)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

What was Jesus’ attitude about His disciples? By extension, what is His attitude about us? To get there, perhaps we need to consider Jesus’ attitude about Himself. I can’t say that Jesus never felt the desire to “be like the Most High.” He was tempted in all ways as we are, but He did not sin. He knew who He was/is. He didn’t try to prove it for His own benefit. In one sense, His identity was entirely dependent on God, but in another, His identity was not dependent on anyone. He knew who He was. There was no need to prove it.

          Imagine if we could reach the point where we no longer felt the need to prove ourselves, our correctness, or our value. Imagine basing our identity on God, not our racial/ethnic heritage, the color of our skin, hair, or eyes, our gender or sexual preferences, our education, wealth, or social status. Can you imagine it? I don’t think I can. Our being a Christian may be the most important piece of our identities, but can we lay aside the image we want others to associate with that title?  

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