May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory.

May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me,
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.

Words by Kate D.Wilkinson 1913
Music by Arthur C. Barham, 1925

 

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If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
Philippians 2:1 – 5

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:15

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17 – 19

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1 – 2

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost
Luke 19:10

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Do you know the difference between working as part of a group and working as part of a team? Have you ever had a project to do at work or school and you get grouped with other people to accomplish it. Each of you has the same goal, but all of you have a different idea of how to get there. What happens when each of you decides your way is best and you just proceed. At best you have duplicate work being done. At worst, you have complete chaos and nothing gets done.

Now have you ever been part of a team to accomplish a project. In this case, you not only have a common goal, but you have a common plan to reach it. In fact, in an ideal situation, you do not even have to speak what needs done because everyone know what to do and even know how others are thinking.

Being a Christian is to be a member of a team and not simply a group. As a result of a common belief in Jesus Christ, we are to be unified in all that we do. Sharing the same mind that Christ Himself had. This is the theme of Kate Wilkinson’s hymn, “May The Mind of Christ My Savior.”

The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:1 – 5, “If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.”

Sound familiar? He said to be of the “same mind.” Just like the team that has the same end goal in focus, we need to understand that we have the same goal.  Even more,we will not reach that goal  when we selfishly seek our own interest.  Rather, we will only reach it when we “let the same mind be in (us) that was in Christ Jesus.”  So, in reflection of this passage, Wilkinson writes, “May the mind of Christ my Savior, live in me from day to day.”

But how do we do this.  How do we  have the same mind as Christ.  The answer is found in the second verse of the hymn, “May the Word of God dwell richly, In my heart from hour to hour.” To have the mind of Christ, we must know the Word of God.  We need to spend time reading it learning it and memorizing it.  Then we can say with David, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)

When we have taken God’s word into our heart and begin to understand the mind of Christ, we will see that we are not alone.  That we are  part of a team, that includes not only those around us, but those who can before and those who are yet to come.  As the writer of Hebrew says, “we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” in Hebrews 12:1.  The writer goes on to say, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.”  This is why Wilkersen writes, “May I run the race before me, Strong and brave to face the foe. Looking only unto Jesus As I onward go.”

Yes we are to have the same mind as Christ.  When we have this mind, we will begin to see the world through His eyes. We see a world that needs him.  When we have the mind of Christ, the world will see Him when they look a us.  When we realize this we can find the real meaning as we sing, “May His beauty rest upon me, As I seek the lost to win, And may they forget the channel, Seeing only Him.”

 

 

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