How to think like Jesus

As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus Christ. Is it possible for us to think like our Lord Jesus Christ as human beings?

1 Corinthians 2:16 says that those who have the Spirit have the mind of Jesus. Paul says those who accepted and believed in Jesus already have His mind. Thus, it is now possible for us to think like Him.

Moreover, thinking like Him could allow us to experience the joy and peace that comes from our Father in Heaven.

Also, when we value His sacrifice on the cross and love Him, we do everything to please our heavenly Father.

In addition, as believers, we want to think like Jesus, not because the world has higher expectations from us but because God, the Father, was pleased with Jesus while living here on earth because of how Jesus thinks.

More importantly, God desires us to be like Jesus. How He forgives and loves people even if they persecute him.

One of the preachings of Dr. Rick Warren from Saddleback Church moved me. He shared how Jesus thinks people could be like Him in words and deeds. 

How can we think like Jesus

To think like Him, we must learn how Jesus feels about himself.  Knowing His way of thinking could help us follow Him despite persecution, temptations, and judgments of this world. 

It would give us the courage to press on toward the goal as God has intended us to do.

Here are some ways on how we could think like Jesus.

Know who you are

Jesus Christ knows exactly who He is. He knows His creator. Dr. Warren noted that Jesus talked about his identity 18 times in the New Testament. 

Then, Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:36

Also, Jesus said in John 8:12 that He is the light of the world; whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. 

These are some of the Bible verses that prove that Jesus knows His identity in His creator.

Since he knows exactly who he is, Jesus is never persuaded by the crowd. He did not allow even the religious people to manipulate him.

Therefore, to think like Jesus, we must know our identity in our Creator. God wants you to know who you are so you will not waste your life by letting others manipulate you.

Some people who are confused about their identity always pretend to be somebody, which could lead them to stress.

Know your purpose

For us to think like Jesus, we should know our purpose. Why are you here on Earth? Why God created you?

Well, God made everything for a reason. Even plants and animals have goals for why they exist.

Jesus Christ knows who He is and why He came here on earth. John 8:14 says, “Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.”

Besides, Jesus emphasized in John 10:10 that He has come to give life. 

When you know the reason for your existence, you will strive to achieve your purpose no matter what. You will not be hindered by anyone or anything along your way. 

If you still do not know your purpose, learn to discover it through God’s word. No one in the world knows why you are here than your creator. 

The more you know your creator, the more you understand why He created you just like Jesus Christ. He knows the Father and why He came here on earth.

Know that God is always with you

To be like Jesus, we must also be aware that God is always with us, just like Him. He knew that God would never leave nor forsake Him as He did His purpose.

Jesus Christ never felt lonely because He knew the Heavenly Father’s presence was always with Him.

Even more, Jesus said in John 16:32, “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.”

He is confident that he would never fulfill his purpose alone but with the Heavenly Father. But how did Jesus know that God will always be with him? It is because He always sets a moment with God and prays.

Jesus’ daily habit is to pray alone and feel God’s presence. Luke 5:16 says that He would come out to an isolated place to pray.

As a result, he never felt that God was not with Him because He always talked to Him. Do you often speak to God?

Sometimes, we do not feel His presence because we do not make it a habit to communicate with him.

To be aware that God is always with us, we must always communicate with him. We must follow Jesus’ habit of having a quiet time to pray. God will always sustain us when we seek Him.

Choose your words

When we think like Jesus Christ, we think before we speak. He does not think without thinking. He said in John 12:49 that He does not speak on his “own” authority, but the Father who sent Him and gave Him a command Him what to say and tell.

If you allow God to help you when and how to say something, you could live a happier relationship with others.

I remember what my husband always told me: it does not matter if your point is correct. What is important is how you say it. 

We are usually caught in trouble because of our words, regardless of whether we are right. Jesus Christ never rebuked people to condemn them but to rebuke them to be saved and corrected. 

He always speaks with love and compassion because our Heavenly Father is love.

Do not worry about pleasing everyone

If we want a Christ-centered mindset, we are not worried about having validation from everyone. Jesus is not swayed to do God’s will because He only seeks validation from God. 

However, most of us are people pleasers, and we allow them to dominate our lives. Their friends, colleagues, and spouses could manipulate some, which hinders them from doing God’s plan for them.

Hence, Jesus was not worried if people would reject him as long as He was doing what pleased His Heavenly Father. 

Jesus said in John 5:30, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

Therefore, thinking like Jesus is pleasing God our Father, not others. The reality that we have to accept is that not everyone will like what you do, regardless of whether it is correct.  You will only get tired of doing things for people. 

So, for you to have Jesus’ mindset, we must not be anxious about the validation of people; instead, we must seek God’s approval.