Journal Entry ~ 04/07/18

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:9-11

Jesus was given the name above all names - He is our Lord. Every single person on this earth will acknowledge this to be true someday. Some of us have already confessed this to be true doctrinally - we say with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, but we struggle to truly bow our hearts to Him. When our hearts and our lives have been surrendered to the King, it is evident in our relationship with others. 

Here is a truth I read recently —> you will only experience the mind of Christ to the degree you accept it. In other words, you need to allow the mind of Christ to fully enter your life, and you need to do so willingly if you want to experience the fullness of Christ. We have such a natural tendency to protect ourselves, to guard the door of our minds so that we only let in the truths that are consistent with and justify our feelings. Many of us who profess that Jesus is Lord with our mouths do not let the mind of Christ fully infiltrate our thoughts because it rubs up against what we want to be true, and so we keep ourselves from recognizing the fullness that the freedom in Christ offers. 

What does this look like in our relationship with others?  Accepting your conditions and being willing to allow injury as part of God’s will for you. His will for you is realized through that injury you’re fighting. Read that again —> His will for you is realized through that injury you’re fighting.  Stop fighting it. Stop demanding some sort of justice. What did Jesus do when He was wrongly accused, mocked, or treated poorly?  Nothing. He said nothing. His life was about humility. Accept the hurt without complaint, my friends, and without fail, He will bring you through to victory and peace.  If you choose to allow the mind of Christ in, you will find victory in the peace it brings. 

That’s a hard truth for so many of us. We live in a world that demands justice, and teaches us everything BUT humility. We live in a broken world that teaches us *this* is how we are to be treated, and when we have been wronged, *this* is how we are to respond. Our sense of justice is so innately ingrained in our minds, that it’s hard to even comprehend the mind of Christ. Let go of your sense of justice, your focus on self and what is due you, and allow the humility that is the mind of Christ to take over. Only then will you will experience the victory He promises. 

Remember, you will only experience the mind of Christ to the degree you accept it.  If you resist allowing the mind of Christ to infiltrate all your thoughts, and guard those you feel justified to hold on to because of an injury you have sustained, then you will struggle. You’ll end up in the camp that believes having Christ doesn’t make any difference, but it will only because you are not using what is available to you. 

Don’t only confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, bow every aspect of your life to Him, and realize all that He has in that victory for you. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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