A New Mind Set

Yesterday, we asked ourselves….what was the Apostle Paul talking about when he told us to “be transformed by the renewing of your minds?” Here’s my take on this topic of letting go of our earthly claims and taking hold of our heavenly gains.

First, we must have the mind of Christ, thus a new mind set is in order. We cannot just think differently on our own; we must take hold of the mind of Christ through surrender.

It was always the passion of Christ to be obedient to the will of God…to do all that the Father had set before him…to gladly bear our burdens and our sins and to rejoice in the plan of salvation that would provide each of us forgiveness and clothe us in His righteousness.

That mind set is not simply acquired; but rather, it is given to those that empty themselves of worldly desires, goals and ambitions and concentrate on the will of the Father. It is that transformation of our mind that allows us to ‘test and approve” the will of God in our lives.

We begin that transformation by giving our bodies as a living sacrifice to God….our physical, fleshly desires are laid to rest on the alter of grace and we give up our “rights” to who we are or who we think we should be according to the standards of this world.

Paul says it best in Philippians 3:8-9a, “Indeed, I count everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of ALL THINGS and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.”

Did you get that?

It’s all rubbish! EVERYTHING IS RUBBISH….except knowing Christ…that is our earthly portion and it is counted as heavenly gain. Sure, you can follow in the way of the world, as most Christians do, and struggle with trying to do the will of God or... you can surrender your will to His will...ONE DAY AT A TIME. You see, once you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior, the battle is no longer for your soul…rather it is for the surrender of your will to the good, acceptable and perfect will of your Heavenly Father.

So, make the clear choice today and begin with the surrender of your flesh, the acquisition of the mind of Christ and the mindset that it is all rubbish…unless it is for heavenly gain.

You should be able to ask yourself this question regarding your citizenship in heaven…If I do this today, will the difference it makes on earth impact my future in heaven? If so, then full steam ahead! If not, better wait on the Lord and continue to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

So why not start today to stop living and planning to just accept the consequences of your actions; rather, follow in the footsteps of Jesus and start living a life surrendered to obedience to the Father’s will….you will be amazed at the peace and security that will invade your life as you live one day at a time for Him.

After all, we really don’t belong here…You and I are destined for better, Brighter and BIGGER Things. Remember, we’re just passing through on our way HOME ….and the only thing we can take with us….OUR FAMILY AND OUR FRIENDS.

Do they see Christ living in you ….or are you practicing dual citizenship?

ONLY YOU CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION!

Praying that others see Christ in me,
WPQ