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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