20-DAY CHALLENGE: LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (DAY-5)

JESUS GIVES US SOME VALUABLE ADVICE FOR LIVING AS A CHRISTIAN

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all you heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the
first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:
Love your neighbor as yourself.”
(Matthew 22:37-39)

MEDITATION:
God gave Moses the Ten Commandments
as guidelines for pleasing and obeying Him.
Some believers focus on these commandments, but fail
to grasp the true meaning of being a ‘follower of Jesus Christ’.

Certainly we need to obey God’s commandments,
but we have to also understand that being a Christian
includes developing a new mindset and a new attitude.

When Jesus replied to the Pharisees, He gave them (and us)
some valuable information about God’s expectations
of those He has saved.
Whenever we follow His advice, obeying the Ten Commandments
should be a byproduct of our new life of living as a Christian.

Jesus said we need to have a new vertical relationship (with God),
and a new horizontal relationship (with our neighbors).
If we love God with all our heart,
then we will have the capacity to love our neighbors.
True love will find a way
to love and serve both God and our neighbors.

Love is the key to having this new
attitude and interaction with God and with others.
No longer do we look for the faults in others
(we instead look for the good in them);
no longer do we ridicule and discourage others (we encourage them):
no longer do we selfishly focus on ourselves
and our desires with disregard for others
(we become humble and value them above ourselves)
(Philippians 2:3-4).

The list could go on and on,
but in essence, we develop a similar mindset of Jesus.
In your relationships with one another,
have the same mindset as Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)

When Jesus was in human form, He
lived His life as a humble and obedient servant of God.
He gave up everything for God and for us!
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!
(Philippians 2:7-8)

ACTION:
Have you developed a mindset similar to the mindset of Jesus?
Or, do you still have some of the same attitudes
you had before receiving God’s salvation?

According to the scriptures, if you have not developed
a humble and loving attitude toward God and toward
others, then you are not advancing toward the mindset of Jesus.

Jesus was the personification of humility and love.
Sure, it can be a difficult transition for anyone, but if the Lord
(Who had all the credentials for being superior to others)
can humble Himself, then every Christian can do the same.

When you are with others, does your conversation revolve
around you and your activities, or do you spend time asking
others about themselves?
Are you a loud person who thinks
you are right and everyone else is wrong?

Are you quick to give advice to others on how they should
do things, or do you ask questions to better understand
why they do things the way they do them?
Too many people have too much unsolicited advice
to give to too many others without fully understanding
the condition of them and their circumstances.

How do you express love toward God and toward others?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your merciful and gracious
gift of salvation. Help me to replace my arrogant pride and
selfishness with humility and love for You, and for others.
Jesus has shown me what true humility and love looks like.
Since love demands everything I have, I pray that You will
help me to remove the things in my life that hinder me from
loving You and my neighbor as I should. Help me to love the
way Jesus did, when He walked among us.”