The Mind of Christ
READ
The incarnation wasn't just about God showing up—it was about God showing us how to live.
Think about what Jesus gave up. He didn't cling to His divine privileges or leverage His position for comfort. Instead, He emptied Himself, stepping into our messy, broken world with all its limitations and pain. This wasn't a reluctant sacrifice or a dramatic gesture. It was love taking the form of a servant, choosing humility over honor, choosing connection over control.
Let’s take a moment to read Philippians 2:5-11:
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
REFLECT
Paul tells us to have this same mindset. But what does that actually mean for us today? It means that the way we love others should mirror the way Jesus loved us. It means that when we're tempted to assert our rights, protect our reputation, or demand our way, we pause and ask: "What would self-giving love look like in this moment?"
Consider Mary and Joseph, who said yes to God's plan even when it meant confusion, shame, and uncertainty. They embodied this humble, obedient love long before Jesus took His first breath. Their willingness to surrender their plans for God's purpose reveals what the mind of Christ looks like in real time—it's not always comfortable, but it's always guided by love.
The incarnation teaches us that love doesn't stay theoretical or distant. Love gets its hands dirty. Love enters into difficulty. Love makes itself vulnerable. When Jesus became human, He wasn't just visiting our world; He was showing us that authentic love requires presence, humility, and sacrifice.
This Advent, as we prepare to celebrate Christ's birth, we're invited to examine our own hearts. Where are we clinging too tightly to our own comfort, our own way, our own advantages? Where might God be calling us to take on the mind of Christ—to humble ourselves, to serve sacrificially, to love courageously?
The beauty of the incarnation is that it wasn't a one-time event meant only to secure our salvation. It was also a pattern, a blueprint for how we're meant to live as people transformed by God's love. When we embody the same humble, self-giving love that Jesus demonstrated, we become living testimonies to the power of the gospel. We become incarnations of God's love in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and homes.
Jesus didn't just tell us to love—He showed us how. He descended into our darkness so that we might ascend into His light. He emptied Himself so that we might be filled. He humbled Himself so that we might know the exalted life of belonging to God.
Let today’s scripture passage remind you that the way down is the way up, that humility is the path to true honor, and that self-giving love is the heartbeat of the kingdom of God.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
How can you embody the same humble, self-giving love that Jesus demonstrated in His incarnation?
What areas of your life might God be inviting you to surrender your advantages or comfort for the sake of loving others?
In what practical ways can you "make yourself nothing" by serving those around you this week?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Jesus, thank You for not clinging to Your divine privileges but choosing to enter our world as a servant. Transform my heart to have Your mindset—humble, sacrificial, and fully committed to love. Help me release my grip on my own rights and reputation, and give me courage to follow Your example of self-giving love in every relationship and situation I encounter this week. Amen.