Wednesday

Related Verses
Col. 3:3-4
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.

Gal. 2:20
20 I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Phil. 3:10
10 To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

Eph. 1:19-22
19 And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength,
20 Which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies,
21 Far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come;
22 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church,

1 Cor. 2:12, 16
12 But we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God, that we may know the things which have been graciously given to us by God;
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord and will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Related Reading
The pattern presented in [Philippians 2:5-8] is now the life within us. This life is what we call a crucified life. The seven steps of Christ’s humiliation are all aspects of the crucified life. Although Christ had the expression of deity, He laid aside this expression. However, He did not lay aside the reality of His deity. He laid aside the higher form, the form of God, and took on a much lower form, the form of a slave. In this, He emptied Himself. Surely this is a mark of a crucified life. Then, after becoming a man and being found in the appearance of a man, Christ humbled Himself even unto the death of the cross. This was the crucified life lived out in a full and absolute way. (Life-study of Philippians, p. 88) 

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Christ is not only an outward pattern for us; He is also the life within us. As this inner life, He would have us experience Him and thereby live a crucified life. In this crucified life there is no room for rivalry, vainglory, or self-exaltation. On the contrary, there is self-emptying and self-humbling. Whenever we experience Christ and live Christ, we automatically live such a crucified life. This means that when we live Christ, we live the One who is the pattern of a crucified life. Then we also will empty ourselves and humble ourselves. 

Only the crucified life can live such a pattern. If we still do things out of rivalry and vainglory or are still ambitious to be leaders, we are not living a crucified life. We are not emptying ourselves or humbling ourselves. However, we have a life within us that truly is a self-emptying and self-humbling life. This life never grasps at something as a treasure. Instead, it is always willing to lay aside position and title. 

When the pattern in Philippians 2 becomes our inward life, the pattern becomes our salvation. Then we are saved from rivalry and vainglory. If the Philippians were not willing to live according to this pattern, they could not make Paul’s joy full. He would still be troubled by their rivalry and vainglory. But if they were willing to live the crucified life, a life that always empties itself and humbles itself, not grasping anything as a treasure, they would have the genuine experience of Christ. Their experience of Christ as such a pattern and inward life would make the apostle extremely happy. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3492) 

Living a crucified life shows that toward the apostles we have encouragement in Christ, consolation of love, fellowship of spirit, and tenderheartedness and compassion…Paul was not concerned with how he was treated by others. His concern was whether or not the believers would take Christ as their pattern and live a crucified life. (Life-study of Philippians, p. 89) 

In Philippians 2:3-4 Paul says, “Doing nothing by way of selfish ambition nor by way of vainglory, but in lowliness of mind considering one another more excellent than yourselves; not regarding each his own virtues, but each the virtues of others also.” In verse 5 Paul goes on to say, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” This verse indicates that the mind that was in Christ Jesus should be in us. This in verse 5 refers to considering in verse 3 and regarding in verse 4. This kind of thinking, this kind of mind, was also in Christ when He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, and humbled Himself, being found in fashion as a man (vv. 7-8). To have such a mind requires us to be one with Christ in His inward parts (1:8). To experience Christ, we need to be one with Him to this extent, that is, in His tender, inward feeling and in His thinking. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3489-3490) 

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 347