Locking into Like-mindedness
Locking into Like-mindedness
Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. – Philippians 2:2
Last week, my wife and I were joined by some fellow foot steppers (15) as we traveled on the Footsteps of Paul the Apostle tour to Athens, Greece, from May 20th thru May 30th.
As a young child, I never envisioned or entertained embarking on such an extraordinary journey. But when the Extraordinary and Eternal God graciously gave me His forgiveness for all my steps of sin and endued me with eternal life through the absolute means of Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God, He has consistently and continues to make what things I consider as impossible possible in my life.
Psalm 130:4 – But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
Daniel 9:9 – To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
John 10:27–28 – My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
As faithful followers of the Lord Jesus and fellow foot steppers, we set our hearts and souls to tread where Paul was led as he purposed to preach the Gospel to the Jews first and the Gentiles. Paul trekked more than 10,000 miles and founded at least 14 churches. His travels are detailed in the Book of Acts and took him through provinces such as Greece, Turkey, Syria, and beyond.
It was indeed a beautiful bucket list trip thick with bountiful blessings. Our experience with the ancient steps of the Apostle Paul produced a profound harvest of history, culture, biblical veracity.
Consequently, when we give consideration and observation to the Epistles of Paul, we will experience a vivid and expanded comprehension as well as a heightened awareness of the Apostle’s ministry and his exemplary service to the LORD.
However, the beautiful ribbon that was tied to this wonderful trip was the gift of unity or like-mindedness that God gave us! In functional faith-filled terminology, being “like-minded” means:
A consensus of values: We were led to encouraged and prioritize the same values—love, mutual care, and humility—that helped us in choosing what to do and where to go.
A commitment to continued oneness: Despite natural differences in opinions (17 to be exact), the Lord’s Spirit assisted us in aligning our focus on the greater goal: giving glory to God and reflecting the character of Christ.
Cultivating common compassion and agreement: God gave us genuine like-mindedness because it was marked by a dynamic of deliberate commitment to loving one another and looking beyond personal preferences to value each other as members of a spiritual family.
I believe that the Spirit of God sealed our trip with blessings. And by His grace, we locked ourselves into like-mindedness, which caused us to look like Jesus.
Not a sermon, just some thoughts.
FtGG