"then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose."Philippians 2:2 NIV


The Apostle is strongly encouraging the Philippians church to follow in Jesus' example to be one with Him as He was one with His Father. This is the only way to be like Christ. It goes further than this though. Paul wants the church to be one with Christ.

Paul isn't speaking to one person but this church as a whole.  The love of God  is the only force on this earth worth dying to self. There is no love worth giving up on self for, but the wholehearted  love our God offers to us.

It would be impossible to have a group of people, no matter how committed or lovely, to be of one mind without the love and power of the Holy Spirit. It couldn't happen. It isn't something one can try really hard to obtain, or study for weeks to accomplish. 

Like all  the lovely gifts God gives, it is free, and cannot be prodded, or poked into our lives. This reminds me of our puppy who dislikes being on a leash. I don't blame her, she runs in the backyard most of the time. When I come with that leash, she sits.

The love of God isn't bought or given from one generation to the next. It is as individual as every person. It is intimate, private, and lavish all at once. It never wains, or falters. God doesn't yell down at times, and say,"Sorry, I don't have it today!" No, it is constant, and beyond our ability to understand.

Everything we know has an end, but not God or His love. Is it possible for us to comprehend it? No. Should we wonder about it, and marvel in it? Yes. Doing so reminds us where we are from, and where we are going. This world is not our final destination. It is temporal and ends for all of us.

This is a good thing. What has been promised in heaven is greater. We cannot comprehend a world without dying, sin and disappointment. Heaven doesn't avail itself to the just, righteous and selfish of this world. It opens wide for those who trust, yield and commit to Jesus.