Christ Jesus has chosen you. Christ Jesus has made you his own.
Sometimes, I need this reminder. Sometimes, when the world becomes dark and the waters of chaos seem to splash at my feet, I need to be reminded that I have been chosen by the one who will reach out and save me when the stormy seas finally are able to overtake me.
Christ Jesus has chosen you. Christ Jesus has made you his own.
I remember the day that I stared into a box of small puppies, deciding which one I would take home. The farmer had offered a puppy as part of my payment for a summer of work. The rest of the puppies would be sold, but I got to choose one to take home.
And, as I stared at that squirming mass of tiny canine, pushing and shoving one another, biting each other’s ears in acts of dominance my eyes locked onto the little puppy who was in the corner. She was the smallest one, and she was just staring at me. Her eyes seemed to have no hope that she would be the one chosen to get attention. She was not the biggest. She was not the strongest. She did not even try to break through to the front of the line.
I knew right then that she was mine. I had chosen her because she seemed to be the one who needed the most love.
And, from the moment I picked her up, Sparky was mine. I named her Sparky because her eyelids boasted bright orange sparks which I loved. She was mine. She went wherever I wanted to go. She played whatever I wanted to play. And, if given a choice of laps, mine was the one she trusted. And, I know this might all seem a little sappy and hallmark card-ish, but it is absolutely true that because I chose her, she had a huge desire to be mine.
Her little puppy attitude was the attitude of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:12 in which he says, “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”
As Paul sits in jail, he is reminded of the one who chose him: Jesus Christ. And because, Jesus chose him, Paul is willing to continue to follow that one wherever he goes, even into the darkness of jails, or into unknown futures. It is not that he has reached the goal of being like Jesus, but he strives to follow Jesus at all times because Christ Jesus looked into the box, picked Paul, and made Paul his own, as imperfect and destructive as he was. Just as Sparky was happy to follow me and do whatever I did, Paul desires to be Jesus’ very own, doing what Jesus does, because Jesus has already chosen him.
And, it is this perspective that Paul brings into everything. Paul is continually telling people to be of the same mind in Christ. Strive toward of the goal of being like Christ. When facing hard decisions, think with the mind of Christ, follow the ways of Christ, because he has chosen you to follow.
Paul says it again toward the end of the letter to the Philippians. As he wraps up his thoughts and sends his love to these very special people, he reminds Euodia and Syntyche to “be of the same mind in the Lord.”
Evidentially, these two very important leaders within the church were not in agreement. The letter does not state what the dispute between the two women was all about, but it was important enough for Paul to address it.
What is fascinating is that Paul seemed to take no side in the disagreement, whatever that disagreement was. Wisely, he knew that adding his own opinion was not going to help anything. Rather, he reminded them both, as well as the other leaders surrounding the women, to focus on the one who chose them. He trusts that if they found their unity in Christ, and both focused on all that Christ cares about, then their dispute would work itself out with the Spirit’s help.
Be of the same mind in Christ Jesus. Just look to Jesus.
“Look at me” the band director said to the two of us holding our French horns. You see, we were both beginners to the French horn, still learning the intricacies of the instrument, and we were bickering about how to play an Eb. For the life of me, I cannot remember which argument I was trying to make, but one of us was certain that an Eb was played pushing down the second valve. The other of us was certain that it was played pushing down the first valve. And, this had become a disruptive point of contention between the two of us because we both wanted everything to sound good.
There was just one problem, while we were squabbling about how to sound good, we were neglecting to make a sound with our horns in the first place.
“Look at me” the band director broke in. “Listen to me. You have a single French horn, so you press down the second valve. You have a double French horn, so you press the trigger and press down the first valve. You are both right. Now can we all please focus up here and start playing some music?”
Do you know what would have saved a lot of bickering and disagreement? Looking to the band director for guidance. And, I think that a lot of bickering and disagreement in the church could similarly be resolved if we would stop digging in our heels, stubbornly thinking that we are right and, instead, look to Jesus and all that Jesus cares about. After-all, it is Jesus who chose us. Jesus is our band director. It is Jesus whom we follow.
I think that this is especially important in times when the world seems to be chaotic, without clear answers to some of the hardest questions we face together. It is all too easy to divide ourselves into factions with “right” and “wrong” answers. It is all too easy to divide into tribes who consider everything out of the mouth of our neighbors as being evil and our own words righteous. But, the truth is that we are not two factions. It just is not true. We are one people, chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ, bought with his blood, our names written in ink in the book of life, chosen to be his body in the world. We are one chosen people in Christ Jesus.
And, as one chosen people in Christ Jesus, Paul would remind us even today to “be of the same mind in Christ Jesus.” He would remind us to look to the one who chose us.
Look to Jesus. Look at all about which Jesus cares. Focus on that. Together, focus on Jesus.
Toward that end, Paul would certainly give us the same advice that he gave the Philippians as they faced the divisive dangers of their time.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice,” Paul invites; because, we cannot possibly be of the same mind if our hearts are not pointed in the same direction. All of the music that we do together in worship is not done simply because it sounds pretty, nor is it done only so that our own souls can feel good. We rejoice together with song because it is a very real way for all of us who have lives scattered a million directions during the week to focus our divided attentions in one direction; toward the one who matters most, Jesus Christ our Lord.
And, we very intentionally do this rejoicing together every single week because rejoicing in the Lord and focusing on the Lord just does not seem to come naturally. How many of you wake up in the morning and say to yourself, “Today is a great new opportunity to be a child of God.”? Or how many of your souls in the morning reflect the very audible grumblings and moanings of my children in the morning, “Do I really have to get up? I need more sleep!”
“Rejoice in the Lord always.”
Paul continues, “Let your gentleness be known to everyone.” This is so important because I am very certain that none of us are at our very best right now. The world is just too fractured. So, with that reality in mind, be gentle to everyone. Do not be quick to assume, do not be quick to anger, and do not allow your love to fade. Jesus’ love lasted to his very last breath, even as people spat on him with contempt while he hung, saving those very people’s souls on the cross.
“Let your gentleness be known to everyone.”
Then Paul reminds us, “The Lord is near.” And, it is true. The Lord is near. The Lord is present. The Lord has claimed us and made us his own forever. The Lord is near. We cannot be reminded of this enough. We cannot possibly remind each other of this truth too many times. A love deeper than we can even imagine is always holding us tight.
“The Lord is near.”
Paul seems to anticipate the question that comes up right away after hearing that the Lord is near: “What if it does not feel like the Lord is near? What if it feels like darkness is winning?” That is a very real question. It should not be taken lightly. It should not be shoved away into a corner. It deserves an honest answer. “What if it does not feel like the Lord is near?”
Paul answers, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
When you feel lost and on your own, not able to find the right music, look up at the band director. Prayer is looking at the band director whenever you are lost or find yourself in disagreement. Another way that you could say it is that prayer is happily barking at the one who chose you out of the box and looking to see which direction that one is traveling and tagging along. Prayer is handing over the pain and desperation that lurks deep in the soul; trusting in the one who promises to love us to the end.
“Let your requests be made known to God.”
And, as you follow Jesus through the darkest valleys, his rod and staff comforting you, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
One day while Sparky and I were walking together around the farm, we came across a tomcat. The tomcat was searching for the cute little kittens that were just born. We had been trying for a couple of days to protect the kittens from this cat who wanted to destroy them and claim the farm as his own.
I started shouting at the cat, throwing rocks his way to get him to leave. Sparky looked up at me briefly and then joined in with loud barks, chasing the evil little feline and nipping at his heels.
Here is the thing. Sparky was a tiny little dog. That tomcat could have easily taken my little dog and defeated her in battle. But, Sparky was with the one who chose her. Whatever I did, she was going to do. Whatever I cared about, that little dog cared about.
And, Paul has this vision that we too will do “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing,” and “whatever is commendable.” We are Christ’s people. We are his chosen ones. We will love those Jesus loved and care about those who Jesus cared about. And, we will “think about these things. Keep on doing [these] things”
After-all, Christ Jesus has chosen us. Christ Jesus has made us his own. Sometimes, we just need this little reminder as we get out of bed and face the new day.
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