Be Like Jesus

When I was in high school, there was a famous commercial that featured Michael Jordan playing basketball, followed by images of kids mimicking Jordan's style. As the images flickered on the screen, a fun Caribbean-styled jingle played with the singer wishing he could "be like Mike." And according to the images, to "be like Mike" meant not only hanging your tongue out of your mouth while driving to the hoop, but also drinking Gatorade.

The Apostle Paul wrote a similar "commercial" roughly 2,000 years prior in Philippians 2, our key passage for this One Thought series. As he shared an "ad" for humility (verses 3-4), he encouraged us in verse 5 to "be like Christ." Here is how he put it:

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:5, ESV)

If you are a follower of Jesus, you have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). And the mind of Christ put others first. He did not come to this earth to be served by others, but to serve others (Mark 10:45).

We see this most vividly through the cross. Even though he had no sin, therefore had no need to pay the penalty of sin (which is death), He put you and I first by dying the death we should have died. And now, the resurrected Christ wants each of His followers to mimic Him, or as Paul put it, to "have this mind [of humility and others-centeredness] among" you.

Like many people, you may tend to think more about your own needs, wishes, and desires than the needs, wishes, and desires of others. But to "be like Jesus" means giving thought and care to others, seeking to help them with their needs. So who can you love this week by putting them first? To whom should you send an encouraging text? Can you serve at next month's Waverly Food Pantry? Who could use your attention or help? In other words, how can you be like Jesus this next week and month, living with an outward focus that brings delight to those around you?