Attitude

28  “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus”  Philippians 2:5

Attitude – You’re traveling along the freeway when you suddenly see flashing red lights, cars pulling to the side of the road and several vehicles pointed the wrong direction.  As you get closer, a policeman starts waiving his arms.  You see his mouth moving but you can’t hear the words.  It doesn’t matter.  You get the message.  Stop!  Sometimes we can’t quite make out the words but the message is loud and clear.

That’s like the situation in this verse.  This particular Greek verb (phroneo) is used 23 times by Paul.  But in many of those instances, we have to rely on the context to understand what Paul is trying to say.  This is especially true when this verb is combined with other words to form meanings like sober judgment, thinking more highly or becoming proud.  So, the translation “attitude” really comes from the context, not from the word itself.  The King James Version reads, “Let this mind be in you”.  The real problem is that phroneo is a verb, not a noun.  So, the translators have to add words like “Have” or “Let”. 

Now put aside all this technical stuff and ask, “What is Paul trying to say?”  “How is he waving his arms?”  Paul wants us to realize that how we think influences every part of our lives.  Our thinking cannot be isolated from our living.  Years ago I heard a prominent bishop who no longer believed in the resurrection say that while he could sing the creeds, he could no longer say the creeds.  He had forgotten all about phroneo.  As a man thinks, so he is.

Whether this verse says, “Let your mindset be the same as the mindset that Jesus had” or “Have the same frame of mind among your brothers as you do in your relationship to Jesus”, the important connection is the same.  Take Jesus seriously.  He creates a renewed mind in us.  And he demands that we exhibit that new mentality.  If your thinking doesn’t change, neither will your walking around.

No matter what your translation, Jesus is still the man to follow – completely, from head to heart to hands.

Today take the Jesus attitude with him and with everyone he brings across your path.  Start by changing your mind.