1Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 2Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
3For I say through the grace that was given me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith. 4For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another, 6having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us: if prophecy, let’s prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; 7or service, let’s give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching; 8or he who exhorts, to his exhorting; he who gives, let him do it with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good. 10In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor prefer one another, 11not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, 12rejoicing in hope, enduring in troubles, continuing steadfastly in prayer, 13contributing to the needs of the saints, and given to hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless, and don’t curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. 16Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits. 17Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men. 18If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. 19Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” 20Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Arm yourselves with the same way of thinking that Jesus had. This means how you feel about the whole idea of suffering. Do you believe that you are immune to suffering? To arm yourself means to PUT ON PROTECTION. And with what can you protect yourself? We can prepare for suffering by adopting an attitude that equips us to endure it. In 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul quotes Isaiah 40:13 and tells all believers, "We have the mind of Christ." This means you participate in and share in the plan, purpose, and perspective of Jesus. It means seeing things from His perspective. That is way easier said than done. But Peter and Paul both tell us that it is possible to arm ourselves with the same mind, and to have the mind of Christ. Paul fleshes this out in the following passage.
13 We also speak these things, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. 14 Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him; and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he should instruct him?” But we have Christ’s mind. (1 Cor 2:13-16 WEB)
Having the mind of Christ means we have an intimate understanding of God's plan for the world: to bring order rather than chaos, to bring redemption rather than condemnation, and to reconcile all of humanity to Him. It means understanding that God "seeks and saves the lost" (Luke 19:10). It means we have humility, compassion, and a love for one another that the world cannot understand.
To have the mind of Christ, one must first come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. After salvation, we come under the influence of the Holy Spirit, who indwells us, enlightens us, and empowers us with wisdom and the Mind of Christ. We have one discipline that we must follow: yielding ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and allowing Him to do transformative work in our lives. (Romans 12:1-2) That yielding is where we perform our part, making the hard choices to say "not my will but thine." The same mind that was in Christ Jesus is within every believer. Reader, ask God to help you to see things from His perspective. In doing so, you will have the Mind of Christ.