There is a popular chorus that speaks of filling our cups Lord. Sadly, for many Christians, singing that chorus is nothing but hot air, signifying nothing. And that is because they are already full of self. It goes something like this:
Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord,
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more,
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.
Try pouring water into a cup that is already full and you see it is totally useless and a huge waste. That is how God is to you when you are full of self. Keep in mind, we are on this health journey so we can live long enough to fulfill God’s purpose for creating us. Premature death might result in someone not being able to discover and accomplish God’s purpose.
In some previous posts on this journey of Divine health we saw how a believer should be the temple of God. The outcome of serving as a dwelling for God is a morally-upright and God-pleasing life. In yet another post on our internal environment, we saw Jesus counseling us to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Thereby, we will have eternal life, unlike those who ate manna in the wilderness and died.
There was a post that spoke about taking the word of God and planting it into your soul. That way, you can start bearing fruits. All these are excellent for filling up your internal environment and there is a reason we summarize them here. Making a list like this allows you to see at a glance what you should have on the inside of you.
The Arrogant Is Full Of Self
It also allows you to see what you are missing if you are full of self. Sad to say, a lot of people continue to sit in church who are without God. Some are without Jesus’ flesh and blood, even empty of the word of God. And the only reason they are missing God is that they are already full of self. They no longer have space for anything else. Do you know such a person? How do you feel when you are around them? No doubt, you dislike them and wish they would depart from your presence.
Or you could become proactive and depart from them. It is the same with God, in whose image we were created. That is why the bible says that God resists the proud another term for one who is full of self. Or as somebody once said, God gives such a man the elbow. I pray you will not get God’s elbow in your side. You must surely recall that pride and arrogance are the reasons satan lost heaven. He was so full of self he wanted to be like God, leading God to chase him out of heaven.
Since that time, the devil has been on earth, looking for disciples whom he will have for dinner. There is no doubt that becoming satan’s dinner is not your desire, but you may not know how to avoid it. The Apostle Paul has the answer for getting rid of pride and arrogance. Writing to the church at Philippi, he gave the prescription for curing a person who is full of self. Perhaps the Christians in the Philippian church had a problem with pride.
The Mind Of Christ Is The Solution
It is possible they enjoyed having a wonderful reputation, perhaps like most of us in today’s church. Perhaps they, like us, enjoyed the applause of men. Jesus says of them that such people have their reward already. They should therefore not expect any more reward from God, a terrible situation. Imagine praying and praying, with no results because people have already praised you for being a prayer warrior. So, to avoid such a terrible situation Paul says we should take on the mind of Christ. It is the treatment for the one who is full of self.
Before we explain what the mind of Christ is, we examine the passage itself. It says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. But He made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death. Even the death of the cross.”
Now, we unpack these verses to understand what the Apostle Paul was advising those believers and perhaps us. Jesus was in the form of God but He did not let that go to His head. He did not become arrogant on account of being equal with God. How about us? We preach two or three great sermons and we immediately think we are assistant God. Secondly, Jesus made Himself of no reputation. Wow! That is not at all like us, who love to build religious resumes.
Jesus Emptied His Life Of Self.
Like the Pharisees, we love the greeting of the people; we enjoy being hailed. But that is far from the mind of Christ, who was the opposite of being full of self. He actually emptied Himself of any possibility of a reputation. He also took the form of a slave to come in the likeness of a mere man. Remember, Jesus was and is God but He did not mind coming as an ordinary man. What about you and I? If you are a doctor and somebody refers to you as Mr., what would your reaction be. You do not have to answer; we can guess because most of us are full of self.
Finally, that passage talks of Jesus humbling Himself. God did not humble or humiliate His. His humility was voluntary. All these together represent the mind of Christ that cures arrogance. With the mind of Christ, you are no longer full of self. You have space for God, for the flesh and blood of Jesus and for the word of God. These are the things that will ensure you live a good long life and secure eternal life at the end. Be sure you do not miss out
To your health!
Maranatha!
