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Bring Back the Joy --- B B t J . O r g
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HAVING THE MIND OF CHRIST
I've been thinking a lot about the Fruit of the Spirit and the manifestation in our lives. I'd like to propose the following question: What is it like to have the mind of Christ ? That's something most of us don't ask ourselves very often. At least, speaking for myself, I alway strove to be "perfect." I wanted to be "like" Christ. Now, I have learned that when we have been given the Holy Spirit, we have the mind of Christ in us and are different people on the inside. We can then exhibit the characteristics of Christ without having to "strive." My whole life has been one of drivenness and striving to be perfect. It is a relief to know that I don't have to be that way anymore. Let me elaborate a little more on this belief. When we are Born Again, we are changed. We are told this in II Cor 5:17 (KJV) . The old thing that is passed away is our old spirit; our spirit is changed. We should begin manifesting new qualities to show our new spirit. For many of us, it is hard to comprehend what this really means. I remember feeling like I wasn't a big sinner. I had always been obedient to my parents; I thought I was obedient to God. But was I really? Yes, I went to church every week. I worshiped. I didn't commit adultery. I fudge a little if I refuse to admit that I have been jealous of my neighbor's house. Oops...I just lied and coveted--two of the Ten Commandments. Many of us have grown up with the Ten Commandments (10). Instead of being tied to 10 specific do's and don'ts, let's consider their intent--that we should love God, Self and Neighbor as indicated in . Christ himself said that in Matthew 22:37-40 . In this posting, I wish to discuss characteristics that we should no longer be exhibiting. By examining ourselves for these qualities, we can come to understand the qualities our new spirit has. The questions is: What was our old spirit like? Galations 5:19-21 lists a number of qualities that we as new creatures should not have if we wish to be in the Kingdom of God. Paul also listed sins that he thought the people of the church at Corinth were committing. II Corinthians 12:19-21 I think we would all agree that Christ didn't teach us to do things. Are any of these things familiar to you? I certainly think that most of us have had brushes with some of these sins. As perfect as I'd like to think that I am...(smile, chuckle, laugh if you will)...I certainly can relate to envy, wrath, strife, backbitings, gossipping, fighting, idolatry, hatred, etc. I even should admit to being like Jimmy Carter and having "lusted in my heart." No, I haven't bowed down to idols such as Baal and Dagon. But I certainly have put my own persuits before God. I have to be careful with my mouth so that I'm not gossipping. That I don't let my emotions rule and cause strife in my household. That I don't envy those who have more money or a better yard or nicer clothes. Most of all, I've been learning eliminate self-hatred from my life. I'm only hurting myself. Christ taught us to do positive uplifting things. He didn't want us to do anything that would hurt ourselves or others. What I'm trying to say is that we have been given a new mind upon accepting Jesus as our savior. This spirit is in us. We have the ability to do things God's way. However, we still have our fleshly body and fleshly mind that doesn't always do what we want to do or should do. That's why we still are able to sin even though we have been saved. There are many examples in the Bible of men and woman whom God considered to be his friends, yet they sinned. That doesn't mean that they shouldn't have sinned. No, it means that they loved God with all their hearts; they repented when they realized their sins. God forgave them. Just as he forgives us when we make mistakes. Although I don't believe we look for sins behind every bush, we should be aware of what's going on in our lives and intercept the thought before these sinful actions happen. The above verses reveal the characteristics that we should not have. So what should we be doing? The exact opposite. And we do that by studying the Word of God (the Bible) and opening our mind to Him. As we draw closer to God, more of his qualities will be shown in our lives without our having to strive. This is what I'm learning. Life is being much more exciting, joyous, and prosperous. I'm learning to forgive and to forget. |
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