Having the Mindset of Christ

​Having the Mindset of Christ (Read time ≈ 6 minutes)
1 Corinthians 2:16
“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
 
 
What does it look like to have the mind of Christ? To have the mind of Christ means to approach life as Christ did. To view life through the lens of Scripture, being guided by the Holy Spirit. Christ lived His life perfectly, but He did not live a perfect life. He, himself was perfect, but He faced much resistance from the world in His life and faced many trials and persecution. To have the mind of Christ means to choose the right mindset while facing adversity, even when it is unfair. It means instead of lamenting and saying, “poor me, oh why me?” Instead, we ask, how can God use this to glorify Him? How can God use me in this situation to turn this trial into a testimony? Into a blessing? Adversity is part of life. No matter how holy or righteously we live… or think we live… adversity will still find us. If it found Christ, who truly is perfect, then we can be sure it will find us. And, if we are being honest, many times WE FIND IT.
 
Either way, when adversity comes, the mindset we have when facing it will determine how (or if) we get through it. Never once in the Gospels do we see Jesus choose a “woe is me” mindset when facing adversity and resistance in life. Knowing that Christ is perfect, we know that if anyone in the history of mankind had the right to say, “Woe is me”, it was Christ. Yet, He did not. In fact, we see Christ choose the mindset of, how can I use this for the glory of God? For the kingdom of Heaven? If we approached every situation in life, both good and bad, with the thought of, how can this glorify God? We will begin to see life very differently and approach life with a completely different mindset… the mindset of Christ. Christ said, “I am to be about my Fathers business” (Luke 2:49) and He certainly was. Never once did He live His life for Himself. It was always in a manner to glorify God and advance His kingdom and bring blessing to those around Him. You will be surprised how much this mindset also helps you, and your life.
 
Jesus faced perhaps the greatest trial any human could face… with joy. Jesus took on the brutal torture of whips and beatings followed by His execution on the cross, with the end in mind, not the present. Jesus thought of the Kingdom when facing the cross, not the trial.
Hebrews 12:2–3 (ESV)
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
When facing trials instead of asking, “Why does it have to come to this?” Ask, “What can God bring out of this?” Lamenting in the present instead of hoping for the future will only bring lament in the future as well. To have the mindset of Christ is to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) even when your kingdom seems to be crumbling. If God knitted you together in your mother’s womb (Psalms 139:13-14) then He can be trusted to repair the damage in your life, to strengthen you through the hardest of days. He will bring blessing from the hardest of situations when we press on for the glory of Christ (Philippians 3:14) with the mind of Christ, which is focused on the Kingdom and bringing glory to our King and blessing His children. We will find that trials are still not fun, but they are productive, and we are able to endure because our mind remains focused on the things that matter. The things that get us through.