Page 9 - February 2025 - Truth & Tidings
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and I must enter that trial in some mea-  list of life’s priorities.
        sure. Sympathy acknowledges the pain,   Every Christian is capable of humility
        and mercy (empathy) bears the pain. The   and mercy. The believers’ minds “have”
        hurting believer needs both. The engaging   the mind of Christ, and the mind of Christ
        believer will need strength from the Spirit   is among the believers (v5). This passage
        of God. Pray before you approach suffer-  emphasizes the scope of the Lord’s mind
        ing believers, “Father, give me the words   as the gigantic sphere of His equality
        they need to hear, and let me do a helpful   with God, His humanity, His form of a
        thing to lessen this burden.”         servant and His humility. The coupling of
          4. “Affection and sympathy” in the   humility and servanthood with His deity
        consoler acknowledges that the suffering   provides the only path to comprehend
        and trial endured by another believer   our inclusion here. The cross of Christ
        could have been my trial. The Lord Jesus
        sympathizes with our weaknesses because   joins believers’ minds with Him and each
        He has experienced and endured them all,   other. The character of Christ defines the
        without sin (Heb 4:15). The word for af-  nature of that mind and our responsibility
        fection in the original text signifies “an in-  to one another.
        testine, bowel.” Practical biblical affection   The attitude and mindset in serving
        feels in their gut what someone else feels.   burdened believers is love, full accord
        Affection and sympathy might lead us   and one mind (v2). Whereas we “have”
        to say, “I feel/understand your pain, and   the mind of Christ, the same love, spiri-
        I am sorry you are going through this.”   tual agreement and unity further stress
          Giving and receiving mercy requires   the need for humility from both the giver
        spiritual equipment which, thankfully,   and the receiver. How often did the Lord
        every believer has. Biblical humility is   Jesus attempt to serve the disciples only
        our gateway to mercy and empathy. “Let   for them to refuse Him? The encouraging
        each of you look not only to his own   Christian must give the challenged be-
        interests, but also to the interests of oth-  liever what they need in love, solely for the
        ers” (Php 2:4). In a mind-jarring manner,   benefit of the believer. Every believer has
        Paul records, “Christ Jesus, who, though   a responsibility to his brothers or sisters
        he was in the form of God, did not count   because they share full accord (agreement)
        equality with God a thing to be grasped,   and unity of thought. Imagine the tried,
        but emptied himself, by taking the form   emotionally drained believer surrounded
        of a servant, being born in the likeness of
        men. And being found in human form,   by every local Christian attempting to
        he humbled himself by becoming obedi-  contribute a bit of help, regardless of the
        ent to the point of death, even death on a   receiver’s attitude. Armed with love, scrip-
        cross” (vv5-8), thus linking our humility   tural agreement, one mind, and motivated
        with His. Along with the worship incited   by mercy and empathy, the Christians
        by these thoughts, consider the phrase   humbly encourage and comfort a fellow-
        “have this mind among yourselves” (v5).   believer with affection and sympathy.
        In these five words, the Spirit of God sets   Their motivation is rooted in the mind of
        the high bar of “others’ interests” and   Christ and unhindered by excuses of fear
        sends our interests to a lower place on the   or rejection.

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