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Have This Mind

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Mind - Philippians 2:5-7 - Have This Mind - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Mind – Philippians 2:5-7 – Have This Mind – Growing As Disciples

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.          Philippians 2:5-7 (ESV)

Your Rights

What rights do you have? Do you have a right to be treated with honor and dignity? Do you have a right to be treated with courtesy and respect? Are you someone special that others should notice and hold in high regard? Should everyone take note of what you desire and make every effort to meet your every need and want so you can be made completely comfortable? I’m not sure that I like this line of questioning. Why is that? It would be quite embarrassing to admit that I have ever held any of these kinds of thoughts in my mind. Do you think that these are some of your deep dark secret thoughts that no one would ever be able to guess that you have held in your mind? That sound like a sarcastic question to me. It might have been. So, my own pride has not been very well hidden has it? Only one person has been completely unaware of your pride. I’m guessing that one person is me. You got that right.

I don’t want to be filled with pride. I don’t want the world to revolve around me. I don’t want to live for my own comfort and pleasure. I don’t want my thoughts to center on my needs and desires. What do you want? I want to be like you. How so? You gave up all your rights. You had the right to be worshipped. You had the right to be honored. You had the right to be served. You never asserted your rights. You never demanded respect. You didn’t live to be the center of attention. Instead of demanding to be served you chose to give yourself fully to serving the needs of others. You emptied yourself of all your rights and took on the form of a servant. Yes, I did. Is that what you want? Yes Lord, that’s what I want.

What are you willing to do? Where are you willing to go? How can I use you to serve others? I am willing to do whatever you ask of me. I am willing to go wherever you send me. My life is in your hands. I am completely at your disposal. I want to be used by you. I want your love to flow through me in service to others. I want others to be drawn to you because of what they see of you in me. Go ahead, you can use my life however you desire. Yes, I will. You can be sure of that.

Lord, in theory I have been ready to lay down my rights so that I can love and serve others. Accepting a theory is easy. Help me to actually show your love to others by serving them in very specific ways. Make this real in my life. Amen

Key Question…  How is Jesus Christ your model for the attitude you want to have toward serving others in life?

Living It Out…  Ask the Lord to show you very specific ways that you can love and serve others.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Lord will help you to lay down your rights so you can be His servant to serve others in this world.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how the Lord has led you to show His love to others by serving them.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you have the same attitude of Christ by allowing Him to use you as His servant in the world.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

The Mind – Philippians 2-5-7 – Have This Mind – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Have This Mind Among Yourselves

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The Sacramental Life - Day 341 - Philippians 2-5-11 - Have This Mind Among Yourselves - Growing As Disciples

The Sacramental Life – Day 341 – Philippians 2-5-11 – Have This Mind Among Yourselves – Growing As Disciples

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV)

Your Mind 

Your mind is like a battleground. How so? In this life, in this world, your mind is under attack. The world, the flesh, and the devil will always be trying to conform you to the patterns and practices and values of the world. If you are not careful, if you are not on guard, you will likely live a life that is not pleasing to me. If you are not watchful and vigilant, you will almost surely think, and speak, and act in ways that are not in alignment with my will. I understand. There is something of which I am supremely thankful. What’s that? You have set before me a clear example to follow. What example have I set before you? You humbled yourself. You took on the form of a servant. You did not assert your rights. You did not demand any privileges.  You made it your goal to humbly and obediently, serve your Heavenly Father. You made it your mission to live as a servant of others. All your thoughts, and words, and actions were guided by living a life that was obedient to and in alignment with your Heavenly Father’s will. That is clearly and exactly the example I set before you to follow. Will you think like I thought? Will you speak like I spoke? Will you like I acted? Will you live your like patterned after mine? Yes Lord, I will humbly and obediently follow your example. I will live to serve you and others. Then you will live a life without regret. Then you will live a life that will bear fruit for my kingdom and bring glory to my name. Then you will one day hear me say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”It will be to my joy and delight to hear you speaking those to me. Thank you, Lord, for giving me this life to live. 

Lord, thank you for setting before me an example to follow. I will guard my thoughts, words, and actions. I will humbly take on the form of a servant. I will live to serve God. I will live to serve others. I will go where you guide me. I will do what you ask of me. Amen

Key Question…  Why will you never regret following Christ’s example of humbly living to serve God and others?

Living It Out…  Follow Christ’s example by living to serve God and others.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that you will never regret following Christ’s example of living to serve God and others.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how you are humbly living as a servant of God and others.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you have the mind of Christ and be a servant of others.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

The Sacramental Life – Day 341 – Philippians 2-5-11 – Have This Mind Among Yourselves – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                Copying not permitted                                           www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Following My Example

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The Virtuous Life - Day 219 - Philippians 3-17-21 - Follow My Example - Growing As Disciples

The Virtuous Life – Day 219 – Philippians 3-17-21 – Follow My Example – Growing As Disciples

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.  For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:17-21 (NIV)

Examples To Follow

You have given me many examples to follow. What kind of examples have I given you to follow? You have given me many examples to follow of what it means and looks like to love and follow and serve you with all that is within me. You have allowed me to see others who have loved and followed and serve you with all their heart and mind and soul and strength. What did you observe? What did you come to understand? How did their examples show you the way? What stood out to you? I will tell you one thing. What’s that? I took lots of mental notes. That’s good, what did you note? I noted that those who lived passionately and powerfully as your followers were fully devoted to you. There were not half-hearted. They were not partially engaged. You were the full focus of their attention. They kept their heart and mind and life fixed on you. The world and all that it offers did not attract them. They were not allured by the treasures of this life. They knew that this life is temporary. They knew that this life is like a mirage. It is like a mist that will quickly fades away. It is like a snap of the fingers or a blink of an eye. They knew without a doubt that their true citizenship is in heaven with you. As they loved and followed and served you with all that was within them, they lived with the encouraging knowledge that one day you would make their lowly, and soon to be worn out bodies, to be like your glorious body. So, they lived for you. They lived to know and do your will. They lived to bear fruit for your kingdom. They lived to bring glory to your name. Is this the life you want to live? Will you follow the examples that I have set before you? This is the life I want to live. I want to live to know and do your will. My heart and mind and life will be focused on you. I will go and do whatever you ask of me. That will be very good. 

Lord, thank you for giving me many godly examples to follow. Others before me have shown me what it looks like to love, follow, and serve you with all my heart. I will follow their powerful examples. Help me to also live as a godly example for others to follow. Amen

Key Question…  How has the Lord given you examples of how to love and follow and serve Him?

Living It Out…  Follow the examples of loving, following, and serving the Lord that you have been given.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Lord will help you to follow the examples of loving, following, and serving Him you have been given.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how your life is serving as a godly example that others can follow.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you follow the example of loving, following, and serving Christ that you have been given.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

The Virtuous Life – Day 219 – Philippians 3-17-21 – Following My Example – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                Copying not permitted                                           www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Our Citizenship Is In Heaven

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Identity - Our Citizenship Is In Heaven - Philippians 3:20-21 - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Identity – Our Citizenship Is In Heaven – Philippians 3:20-21 – Growing As Disciples

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)

Look Forward

Do you trust me? Yes, I trust you. I hear you saying that now. It’s easy to say that when you are sitting in that chair. How about when the world seems out of control? Do you trust me then? Yes, I trust you then. Let’s get a little more specific and personal. When your world seems out of control and things aren’t going your way, do you trust me then? I’m getting a little uncomfortable with this line of questioning. I thought you might. Why is that? I’ve seen you when things don’t go as you hoped or planned. What do I look like to you? You look worried and frantic. It’s obvious that you are very uncomfortable. That’s true. Where is your trust in these worried and frantic moments of yours? I’m not sure. What do you mean you’re not sure? Well, in these moments trust is probably the last thing on my mind. Why is that? My focus turns to getting out of the difficulty that I’m in. All my efforts become engaged to eliminate the problem I’m facing. So the question in my mind is not, “who do I trust, but what can I do”? Doesn’t it seem obvious to you where you are placing your trust then? I guess it does. Where is it? I want to hear you say it. Alright, when I am in great difficulty and facing problems I often put my trust in myself. Good, I’m glad to hear you say that. How could you possibly be glad to hear that? I’m glad that you are not hiding this and that you are willing to confess it to me. I see.

Actually, you don’t see. What do you mean? You are looking at life incorrectly. How so? You are thinking and living as if what you see is all there is. I don’t understand. What if you had a different focus? Like what? What would change if you really began to believe that you are just a visitor here and that your real home and life is elsewhere? Like in heaven with you? Yes, you got it. If I had that perspective I would be less worried and frantic, that’s for sure. Why is that? I would know that my problems are very temporary. They would really begin to loose their grip on me. In fact, all my problems and difficulties in life might just help to remind me that this life is temporary and that one day I will live forever in heaven with you. What will happen then? I will have a glorious new body and everything will be under your control. That’s a lot to look forward to, isn’t it? Yes, it is. Let that grab your attention and be your focus as you live your life for me through whatever difficulties you face. With your help, I will.  

Lord, my eyes are on you and not on the troubles I face in this life. Thank you for reminding me that this life is temporary and that I am just passing through. As I await your return, help me to live my life fully for your glory.  Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Devotional Study Guide click here:

Identity – Philippians 3-20-21 – Our Citizenship Is In Heaven – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com