Check Your Attitude

Paul tells us this in Philippians 2:5, "Your attitude shoudl be the same as that of Christ Jesus." If you call yourself a Christian, do you know what that means? The term, First used in Antioch, is translated "Little Christs." We are images of the one we call our Savior. That may be overwhelming for some to hear, heck, it was for me. How can little ole me ever live up to the Savior and thus even think of calling myself a "little Christ?"
The very notion that we're to be images of Jesus is almost absurd right? I mean come on, He was God! He could do things we couldn't. He calmed storms, walked on water, opened blind eyes, and you think I am supposed to live up to that?
So you're thinking, "Maybe I don't deserve to be called a 'Christian.'" Or maybe you think you could never live up to it and it's a mere formality to call ourselves Christians and God just lets us off the hook and allows us to approach this title flippiantly. Or maybe you're like me and wonder what I'm supposed to be if I call myself a Christian. I think I can catch a glimpse of it by backing up a couple of verses there in Philippians starting at 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
There it is. To be Christ like is to have an attitude that others are just as, or rather more important than yourself. That's the message of the Cross. Jesus considered His life nothing in order for us to be given the chance for salvation. He died for us so that we may live even though we did nothing for Him. In humility He considered us better than himself going to the cross unselfishly.
And look at the verse again, it doesn't have a prerequisite for who we should look out for. Paul doesn't say, "Look out for the interests of others only if they meet the following requirements: ________." Instead there is a broad assertment ensuring we know it is a blanket statement about all of humanity no matter race, creed, color, nationality, religious belief, sexual preference, political affiliation, or moral stance.
And I know some of you want to say, "But that can't be. Surely God doesn't want me to consider the person who did ______ to me be considered better than myself, can He?" Well let me just answer that with what Paul, led by the Holy Spirit told us, "You see, at just he right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anoyone die for a righteous man...But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8)
When we were enemies to God He died for us. When we didn't love Him, living our own way, He died for us. When we gossiped about Him, when we cursed Him, when we denied Him, when we said what He wants means nothing, He died for us. So that means we are supposed to live for each other whether we're family, friends, aquantences or strangers passing on a street. The call to be a "little Christ" isn't tough, in fact the "yoke is light," all it takes is an attitude that others deserve respect, gentleness, kindness, patience, understanding, and most of all our love.