Keep Your Mind Right About People!

Bishop Alexis A. Thomas continued his series from the Book of Philippians entitled, "Keep Your Mind Right!"  This edition was entitled, "Keep Your Mind Right About People!"  He used Philippians 2:5 as the reference scripture.

Last week Bishop told us there are three things that attempt to steal your Joy!  They are circumstances, people, and worry.

Philippians 2:5- 6 says, "Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God." (Living Bible)

People are able to steal our joy when we have the wrong mindset.  If we are selfishly thinking of our own well-being and our own livelihood we will find it difficult to remain joyful.  Jesus was God, but he put his title aside and considered our needs.

Bishop reminded us that many times we even lose our joy in church.  You would think that church would be the one safe place! NOT!  Being born-again is just the first step in our transformation process.  Romans 12:1-2 says, "So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."

"Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."(Message)
When we first received Jesus, we were called "babes in Christ".  Babies grow and mature.  We would be shocked to see a healthy 10 year old crawling, cooing, and drinking from a bottle.  But somehow the church has normalized spiritual immaturity.  In verse 2 of this same chapter, the Apostle Paul writes, "Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." (Message)
Bishop gave us a few pointers on how to stay joyful when dealing with people:

Don't Assume Everyone Dislikes You!  Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Don't be concerned about whether people are watching you or criticizing you. The chances are that they aren't paying attention to you." - Eleanor Roosevelt   Give people the benefit of the doubt.  They may be occupied with their own issues.

Consider Jesus!  "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children? My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either.  It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God."  - Hebrews 12:1-11 (Message)
Don't let anyone steal your joy this week!  Jesus said, "I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.

If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that."  - Matthew 5:44 (Message)
Love and prayers, Cynthia