Lent

April 7, 2022

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross. –Philippians 2:5-8

How do we Let the same mind be in [us] that was in Christ Jesus?  How do we empty ourselves of all the clutter that separates us from God so that we have room to expand our ability to love like Jesus? The intentionality of effort must be great to grow in the faith, hope, and love that Jesus professed. I woke up this morning distracted by the greed that is causing much of the destructive behavior in our world today. Greed is the primary driver of poverty and war. Greed is our idol of choice and the pandemic that will destroy us if we cannot excise through God’s help, its power over us. The rich cannot get richer unless the number of people who are poor grows.  Greed drives a man to try to steal an entire nation from his neighbors. None of us are immune to greed. All must take the time to understand our motivations for what we do and why we do it. We then need to give to God that which has taken control of us leading us away from our faith, hope for the future, and the love of God.

The scripture above is one of the most meaningful and beautiful lessons in the Bible. Claiming it for a time, memorizing it, and recalling it regularly would be a great place to start the process of clearing out the clutter that distracts us. Once, clear we must let God fill us with love so the distractions do not return and our actions reflect our love.

Prayer: Lord, Let the same mind be in [us] that was in Christ Jesus Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.