My first draft on this blogpost was 3 weeks ago. Isn’t it interesting how God’s Spirit works?; this was a sub-theme discussion in Church last Sunday! Ordinarily I wouldn’t bother publishing this again but for this reason; I am interested in doing a personal study on this scripture. I hope we can together gain some insights as we draw from the wisdom of Christ (Colossians 2:3).

My notes 3 weeks ago reads;

The real identity of a person is revealed in not always what we see them do or the way they act but in the way they think which they eventually voice out. The Bible tells us that ‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks‘ (Matthew 12:34)- Interesting that that came from Jesus Himself! Little wonder Jesus said, speaking about the Pharisees; to listen to what they say but never to act the way they do.

Focus scripture for this blogpost is Philippians 2:5 and I love the Message translation;

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of Himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t 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! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. he didn’t claim special privileges. Instead He lived a selfless, obedient life and then dies a selfless, obedient death-and the worst kind of death -a crucifixion.”

So how exactly is the mind of Christ?

1. A mind of great reverence for the Father (The Supreme Head).

Many times we misunderstand and misinterpret the Godhead. Jesus didn’t. On more than one occasion, He clearly reverenced the Father….don’t let me lose you now 🙂 – the Godhead consist of 3 ‘persons’; The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The 3 have EQUAL status, power, authority, but with distinct roles in their interaction with man. I believe that while Jesus walked on earth, he clearly identified the different characters of the Godhead. The Father as the Supreme Head, Himself as the Messiah and the Holy Spirit as the Comforter/Teacher.  Need we do same? ………

I used to wonder why Jesus repeatedly admonished His disciples to ‘make their requests to the Father in His name’ (e.g The Lord’s Prayer), why He’d pray to the Father at Lazarus’ grave before calling  him out of the tomb, why He’d ask the Father to take away the cup of His death from Him, why he said He’d pray the Father to send us the Comforter, why he’d say ‘in my Father’s house (not His house) are many mansions’….and many more why’s. The Father is just that….THE FATHER. Did He give birth to the Son? We’re not told, but we’re told the Son existed in the beginning with The Father with same God status (John 1:1-3).

Does it then mean that every time we call ‘GOD‘ we’re referring to the Godhead? Would we get the attention of all 3 of them or would they work in unison to respond? (Selah).

Certainly, we can be specific (just as Jesus always was) in clearly identifying the deity we’re referring to by calling on their specific titles; The Father, The Son (Jesus Christ) and The Holy Spirit. While they remain ONE and can do All things, but can our knowledge and familiarity of the Godhead be of added benefit to us, especially when we pray?

Back to our discussion on reverence……..

There is a particular tribe in my country Nigeria, where ordinary word greeting (good morning, evening etc) is unacceptable, especially for elders; any greeting unaccompanied by full physical prostration is considered disrespectful. Can we describe physical prostration, kneeling, bowing etc as reverence? Depends on how you look at it. Did Jesus have to do any of these to communicate His reverence for The father? (Selah).

What does it mean to reverence someone?

Dictionary definition: Simply to regard or treat someone with great respect, to think highly of someone, to hold someone in high esteem, to value someone, etc.

My all-time personal definition for reverence as relates to my faith walk?: What would God have me do (in every given situation)?  Like it or not, I tell you that this personal understanding of reverence have kept me on the right track, kept me away from trouble and given me peace.

There is a strong relationship between reverence and obedience/submission. I find that because I answer the simple question of ‘what would God have me do?’ in very challenging life situations, I am compelled, against my natural and preferred inclinations, to give a divine response to such situations and circumstances . It always pays better!  🙂

So first question to answer for ourselves: Do we have the mind of Christ as regards reverence for The Father? Do we often follow our flesh and personal inclinations, often ignoring God’s word and Spirit?

Jesus could have walked away from the cross. But He submitted to the Father’s Will (Mark 14: 36; Luke 22:42, Matthew 26:39).