The Exalted Name Of Jesus

Here is an excerpt from the 1890 book, In Green Pastures by J.R. Miller. I thought this quote was appropriate as we continue memorizing this week in Philippians chapter 2. We began last week to commit to memory Philippians 2:5-8 where we learn that our attitude is to be like the attitude of Christ, and then we see what that attitude looks like. In this excerpt we see that if we are to become like Jesus we must focus our attention on Him; it is only as we gaze upon the beauty of Jesus that we will begin to see His character and attitude begin to become a part of us - we will begin to be like Him. And the more we gaze upon Him the more we will become like Him. It is in this way that we begin to think like Jesus and that we actually, as the KJV & ESV says here, let His mind be in us. Here is what J.R. Miller had to say:

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."

Hebrews 12:2

Keeping the heart upon Christ--transfigures the life. The old monks intently gazed upon the crucifix, thinking that the print of the nails would come in their hands and feet, and the thorn-scars in their brow--as they gazed.

It was but an utter fiction--yet in the fiction there is a spiritual truth. Gazing by faith upon Christ--the lines of His beauty indeed imprint themselves on our hearts! That is the meaning of Paul's words--"We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord--are transformed into the same image!"

The gospel is the mirror. There we see the image of Christ. If we earnestly, continuously, and lovingly behold it--the effect will be the changing of our own lives into His likeness. The transformation is wrought by the Holy Spirit, and we are only to behold, to continue beholding, the blessed beauty! As we sit before Christ--His image is imprinted on our soul.

So take some time today - and every day - to sit before Christ and just behold Him. And here then are our memory verses for this week:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

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