Philippians 2

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.  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 made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Word of God is clear.  Yes there are mysteries, yes there are parables, yes there are directions written through the Holy Spirit that are hard to understand, but it is always clearer than the shallow, mountain stream at noonday.  It is humanity that seeks to obfuscate the truth in our quest to remain ambivalent, disobedient and under-engaged in the pursuit of honest faith.

We are to “be of one mind”.  Do you ever see this in the church, such that everyone is inclined to be dedicated to one direction?  We are to humble ourselves, not that we forget our own needs, but to the point where we are ever conscious to the need of others.  This was the mind that was in Christ.  Would any disagree that the Lord Jesus had more ambition or had set for him larger tasks to be completed that any of us?  Yet, he remained mindful of the needs of all those around him, even when he faced his inevitable and imminent death on the cross.  He did that for us.  Instead of worrying about his own mortality, he was busy washing people’s feet, feeding hungry bellies and wiping away tears of the mourning.  I most certainly cannot imagine myself emulating this example, but thanks be to Christ, I don’t even have to complete that task.

We must get our faculties together and quickly.  Any man not properly prepared before entering battle is facing the day dedicated to foolishness and certain failure.  We must become of one mind to get about the work defined for us in the Lord’s instruction manual, the Bible.  If we do not stand for righteousness then no one shall, for we are Christ’s Ambassadors.  Yes, God could proclaim His own Glory by making the mountains sing, but He has chosen Christians for this purpose.  If we don’t do it whether out of fear, misunderstanding, ignorance or rebellion, all will suffer.  That is why we are to be ever mindful of the needs of others because so much hangs in the balance of our performance.  A single ambassador can start war or instigate peace in foreign relations, a single ambassador can muster the allegiance and national commitment through well scribed word, a single ambassador can open the door to corporate disintegration through poor information security.  Each of us is a “single ambassador” for Christ.  Think on this and become serious about your challenge or accept the eventual conversation with the King about your lack of diligence.

<script height=”337px” width=”600px” src=”http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=9ua2dxbTpaPcr-49v-5ug7Dxwzv3VcbE&pbid=29c9fd42b6564348812f1c7d4ff9252d”></script>  Bradlee Dean, unmistakably clear