Give Me That Old Time Gospel

[islandboy]

O love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.                          Matheson



Your welcome, Pastor Roger. I am enjoying your posts as well.                 

[Soldier4Christ]

Humility - Phil. 2-8

Are you humble?  I have a friend who jokingly says, "I'm proud of my humility."  The funny thing is that he actually is one of the more humble men I know.  He and I both realize that humility is no joke.  It is a hard thing to master.  If I say I am humble, then am I humble?  If I think I'm humble, am I?  Or what if I say, "In my humble opinion, I'm not very humble," then what do I do?

What is humility?  Biblically there are several facets to humility, but I want to focus on that aspect that deals with our relation to God.  Therefore, humility is the right understanding of who you are before God.  Notice, I did not say it means that you have to hate yourself, or call yourself names, or say you aren't worth anything, etc.  Humility is that quality of a Christian that demonstrates a right relationship and position before God.  This demonstration is manifested in attitude, words, and deeds.  John the Baptist was humble: "And he was preaching, and saying, "After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals," (Mark 1:7).  He knew who he was in relation to Jesus.  Remember the parable of the tax gather in Luke 18:9-14 where he said, "Lord have mercy on me a sinner"?  Jesus called him humble.  He knew that before God, he was a sinner.

How about you?  Are you humble before your Lord -- don't answer.  Instead, think of who Jesus is, His holiness, His greatness, His majesty, His love, His sacrifice, etc.  And remember that Jesus humbled Himself by becoming one of us, "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross," (Phil. 2:.  Then, ask yourself if you are humble or not.

Romans 12:3 says, "For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith," (NASB).  God does not want us to think too highly of ourselves.  Instead, he wants us to think soundly.  Whenever I start getting prideful and begin thinking that I know a lot about the Bible, or how big my website is, or whatever else I can boast about, the Lord reminds me of how utterly pompous I really am.  Does God need me to carry out His will on this earth?  Nope.  Does He need me to answer tough questions for people?  Nope.  Does He need me to "get things done"?  Nope, not at all.  He doesn't need me at all.  That is why it is really amazing that He uses me in spite of what I am inside.  Now, THAT is grace!  Praise God!  What I need to do is listen to Him, look to the cross, love God first, love my neighbor second, and not think more highly of myself than I ought.  Oh Lord, I pray that you would fill my heart with humility as I look to your Son, that you would not let me think more highly of myself than I ought, and that I would love you and honor you.

We need to be humble for many reasons, but 1 Pet. 5:5 has a good one to focus on:  "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." I don't want God to oppose me.  I suspect you don't want Him to oppose you either.  It is good to be humble before people and to be thought of as nice and kind and not proud, but our humility before God is where we need to start, not with people. We need to start with our relationship with Him that can only come through a proper relationship with Jesus.  We need to be humble before God and dependent up Him, seeking His will.  Therefore,  prayer, the place of dependence upon God, is the practice of humility before God.  When we let our souls bask in the presence of God, we find out who we really are:  sinners, saved by grace, and kept by His love.  And, as Moses' face shined because of being in the presence of God, so too will your heart reflect the humility and love of Jesus as we spend time with Him in prayer.  Seek Jesus and you will find perfect Humility.

[islandboy]

Inadequate but mighty---
How strange, yet wholly true;
Weak men endured with power
The Lord's blest work shall do.           Bosch

[Soldier4Christ]

Repentance

The Bible tells us, "...God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent," (Acts 17:30). But, what is repentance according to the Bible? Biblically, it can mean anything from sincere regret to altered behavior that results in a moral change. God desires that we repent. He desires that our behavior, deeds, and words be molded to the image of His Son. As Jesus said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," (Matt. 4:17). Okay, so we are supposed to repent, But repent from what? What is it we are supposed to stop doing? What are we to change?

Sin is breaking God's law. The Law of God is best exemplified in the Ten Commandments which is a reflection of the perfect, holy, and pure nature of God's character. God cannot lie, or steal, or bear false witness because these things are against His nature. God is good. Therefore, the Law is good and it is the standard of moral perfection. But we, on the other hand, are fallen creatures who cannot keep the law perfectly. Those of use who are redeemed constantly fight with our fleshly desires (1 Peter 2:11) in an effort to obey God and be conformed to His holiness: "Be holy for I am holy," (1 Pet. 1:16). That is, we continually fight against our natural tendency to do that which is often contrary to God's will. This is why Paul said in Rom. 7:19, "For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish." So, we are to repent of any and all things contrary to God's revealed word which means we need to study the Bible so we might be better conformed to what He desires. We also need to face the reality that even though we Christians are redeemed, we are still battling our sins and, unfortunately, we fail too often to live up to the standard of God's holy perfection. This is why we need Jesus.

Jesus is the One who stood in our place and fulfilled all of the Law of God perfectly. He never sinned (1 Pet. 2:22). When we become Christians, the righteousness of Jesus is imputed to us; that is, it is reckoned to our account so that God sees us as being righteous because of the work of Christ. This means that our repentance from our sins is not without purpose or value. You see, we know too well that we repent of sins that we commit over and over again. But we must ask how can God forgive us if we have asked for forgiveness for a sin(s) and yet we continue to fall back into it? Does not our failure condemn us and prove that we have not repented? Not at all. Jesus bore all our sins in His body (1 Pet. 2:24), not just some of them, not just the ones we are able to repent of, but also the ones that we struggle with and continually fight against. The important truth is that we are not redeemed by our efforts at holiness and we do not maintain salvation by repenting and not sinning. All our hope and security is in Jesus and He loves us and forgives us as often as we need it. Of course, this does not mean that it is okay to sin just so we can be forgiven (Rom. 6:1-2). But it does mean that we are secure and free in Christ to not have to beat ourselves up in our efforts to please Him.

Beware of a pitfall. Sometimes, penance is part of our problem. Penance is a repayment, a way of fixing a wrong. Sometimes we try and make things right with God through an effort or self inflicted guilt. Of course, there is nothing wrong with making things right with someone you've sinned against and guilt is the right response to a wrong deed. But, there is absolutely no penance that we can do that can ever please God in anyway. If there were, then Jesus would not have needed to die for our sins (Gal. 2:21). The simple truth is that if we try and do something to suffer in order to make ourselves right with God, we are insulting God and the very work of Christ on the cross by attempting to please God by our works. This must be avoided at all costs. Let me restate this yet again. Penance is sinful when it is aimed at making ourselves right with God. The only way we can be right with God is by throwing ourselves at the cross and asking forgiveness from the Lord Himself.

Do you have sins you need to repent of? Are there some old habits, some new sins, some people you're not reconciled with, or something else that is contrary to God's word that you have not turned from? If so, then confess it to God and repent. Don't try and please God through your efforts to make up for a sin against Him. Please God by completely and totally relying on Jesus -- and turning from your sins. You need to know that God is there to forgive you and to love you. He is good and kind and patient with you. "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4, NASB).

Repentance is a holy command of God. It is something He can give to you (2 Tim. 2:5) through the grace of His Son Jesus. Seek God's holiness and turn from that which is unholy.

[Soldier4Christ]

To the cross again

I am a sinner.  I don't want to be a sinner.  But I am.  I have sins that still get the best of me.  In fact, there are sins that I have confessed to God so many times that I feel like I should just make a recording of a prayer of confession, carry it around in a small tape player, aim it heavenward, and just play the tape several times a day.  But that would rob me of something special:  God Himself.

The Lord saved me knowing everything about me.  He knew I would continue to commit sins.  Yet, He chose to save me.  He knew I would have to struggle not to be an arrogant, lustful, prideful, jerk throughout my whole life and would fail countless times.  Yet, He chose to save me.  He knew that I would try and bargain my way out of guilt, out of repentance, and out of accountability.  Yet, He chose to save me.  He knew about the sinfulness of my being and the deceitfulness of my heart.  He knew everything!  Yet, He chose to save me.  Why?  Why me?  Why did He save me?  One thing I know.  It is not because of anything in me.  Not at all.  It is because of everything in Him:  love, patience, kindness, humility, compassion, empathy, sacrifice, and so much more.  I am saved because of Him and His love.

So what do I do with these persistent sins?  Do I just give into them and say, "Well, that's the way I am and God's going to have to accept me this way"?  No.  Do I say, "I can't help it so I am not going to worry about my sins,"?  No.  Do I give into them so many times that I don't feel their conviction anymore?  May it never be.  Instead, I go to the cross again, and again, and again, and again.  You see, I just don't have anything else I can do.

Let me start again.  I am a sinner.  I don't want to be a sinner.  But I am.  I have sins that still get the best of me.  But, I keep going to the cross with them, every time, and I mean every time.  Every time I fall into the same old sin, I go to the cross, confess it, and ask forgiveness...again.  When I fall again, I go to the cross again.  You need to do the same thing.  You can't let your sins get you down.  You need to go to the cross, no matter what.  You must go there.  You have to.

I need to let you in on a secret.  Don't pass it around too much, but...I'm weak and susceptible to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life (1 John 2:16).  I used to think that being a Christian meant absolute victory.  But, I have found that it means struggle, that victories are very real, but so are defeats.  This Christian walk is not that easy sometimes.  In fact, it can be quite difficult.  That is why I have to keep clinging to the cross.  I don't have anything else I can do sometimes.  I can't make any deals with God about my sin.  I can't guilt-whip myself for my sins until I feel "worthy" enough to go get forgiven!  I have absolutely nothing I can do but to continue to resist sin, judge my sins as sin, confess them to the Lord, ask Jesus to forgive me yet another time, and continue to cling to the cross of my redemption, that place where my Lord God bought the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28).  That is all I can do.  That is all you can do.

The older I get the more I realize I how much more I need the cross.  The more I see my sins reflected against the purity of Jesus, the more I realize I need His cleansing sacrifice.  I used to think that the cross was the place where I first met Christ and "got forgiven" and that now my Christian life consists of church, good deeds, confession, helps, etc.  But, more and more I am realizing that the cross of Christ needs to be central in my life, my heart, my family, my love, my speech, my writing, my thinking, and, of course, my confession.

What about you?  What is the center of your life?  Or better yet, Who is the center of your life?  Who do you go to for help with the deepest of needs, the deepest of confessions?  Go to Jesus.  Go and seek the Lord Jesus, confess your sins to Him.  Receive His forgiveness.  He knows all about you.

 

To the cross again I go.

There is nothing else I know.

Its strength is all I need.

Where Jesus for me bled.

To cleanse me of my sins

To give me strength within

Jesus alone I know.

To the cross again I go.

[islandboy]

Where is the heart that does not keep
Within its inmost store
Some fond rememberrance hidden deep
Of days that are no more?                      Anon

[Soldier4Christ]

To what are you devoted?

It is a sad truth in our lives that we sometimes become more devoted to things other then God and His glory.  It is easy to do.  In the world, there are people who are devoted to movie stars. They admire them and elevate them to a status of extreme honor and adoration.  People are far too often devoted to sports teams, almost to the point of reference.  We become devoted to political parties, ideologies, causes, and even cars.  Devotion is all around us in the world.  Some of it is good and some of it is not.  Good examples of devotion can be found in the love of a mother for her children and of a father for his family.  Bad examples can be found in extreme devotion to cars, houses, appearance, money, and possessions.  It is in our nature to become obsessed with things.

Now, there is nothing wrong with being devoted to something -- unless that devotion becomes an obsession. If it does, it pushes out proper behavior and proper adoration of God.  This then becomes sinful.  There should be nothing that holds more devotion in our lives than the Lord.  Everything else, must follow far behind.

 When you look at your own heart and look for what is most important to you, what you devote the most time to, what you find?  To what are you most devoted?  When I look inward, I become a bit uncomfortable.  Though there are things that require greater amounts of time than worship and adoration to God (i.e., work, sleep), what is most critical?  What is most important?  I find that sometimes, that the thing I feel most intensely devoted to isn't the Lord.

Yes, it is very easy to get out of sync regarding the Christian walk. It is easy, very easy, to become devoted to something so much, that it infringes on one's relationship with Christ.  When we realize that, we must take a step back, reassess what is most important to us, and once again look to the cross of Christ where His love and patience abound.

I'm reminded of a very important Scripture. "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Tim. 2:13). And another, "What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?" (Rom. 3:3). And still, another, "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9).

The priority of our devotion should always be God first. Notice the last verse above where it states that God desires we have fellowship with Jesus Christ. This fellowship is the Greek word "koinonia." It means "intimacy and communion." God wants this intimacy and this communion with us.  He wants our devotion to Him because it is only in this intimacy with the Lord Jesus that we can truly know what proper devotion really is and thereby experience the wonderful joy of the Lord's grace in a great way.

We need to look to the cross where we see the wonderful demonstration of God's loving devotion to us.  It is there that we see a perfect devotion, a perfect devotion combined with perfect love -- that brings glory to God.

Are you seeking God?  Are you devoting yourself to Him?

[islandboy]

Soon shall the morning gild
The dark horizon rim,
Thy heart's desire shall be fulfilled---
"Wait patiently for Him."                    Havergal

[Soldier4Christ]

Waiting

How many of us have wondered why God doesn't answer some prayers? You know, the ones about getting that new home, or curing a sickness, or saving a person, or getting a job, or whatever it is. I have sometimes found myself bewildered that God doesn't open the eyes of someone lost in a cult, especially when all the evidence and truth are right there in front of him. Then there is the time when we have a sick loved one and we ask the Lord to heal, and the healing either comes or doesn't come quickly. Sometimes, medicine is needed, and much time. In each situation we have to wait to see what happens, to learn how the Lord has worked it out, to find out the method of His answer.

Noah had to wait 120 years while building the ark before the word of the Lord would be fulfilled. Abraham had to wait until old age before Sarah gave birth to Isaac. The Israelites had to wait hundreds of years to be delivered from Egypt. Ruth had to wait patiently for the Lord to provide Boaz to marry her. David had to wait until after Saul had died and the Lord had placed Him as king. The woman with the issue of blood had to wait 12 years to be healed by touching Jesus' garment. Jesus had to be born, grow, and wait until the age of 30 before he could begin His ministry and fulfill the predetermined plan of God (Acts 4:27-28). God has a plan and a purpose and they are worked out in lives, in history, in time. Therefore, we have to wait for the Lord to provide for our needs, healings, and hopes. We must be patient and not give up hope. God is patient. God has a plan in your life and the lives of others.

Waiting is a virtue. Its durability is directly related to its object of faith. If you trust the Lord and His goodness and if you believe that the Lord will provide what you need, then waiting for His answer and provision is an act of faith. Remember, faith is only as good as who you place it in. But, also remember that you must pray for God's will to be done, not your own. This is what Jesus prayed for in the Garden (Luke 22:42).

This Easter is the proof of God's love for you. The fact that Jesus has physically risen from the dead (John 2:19-21; 1 Cor. 15:1-4) is proof that God loves you and has provided for you. Even as Jesus had to wait three days to be raised, so too you must wait the appropriate length of time for the Lord to raise in you the work He has called you to do. You must wait for the answers to your prayers. But you can patiently wait on God, trusting that He loves you and wants the best for you.

So, labor patiently for the Lord. Pray always. Keep believing despite the circumstances and in spite of the long periods of time that sometimes wane between the request and the answer. Wait in faith, knowing that the call of God will come as well as the answers to the questions of your heart.

[Soldier4Christ]

What is a Christian?

Many think they are Christians because they claim to believe in Jesus.  But, believing in Jesus often means nothing, or anything, particularly here in America where pluralism and relativism are rampant.  Intolerance is the only thing not tolerated by the postmodernist who says, "My truth is different than your truth, so don't judge me with your outdated morals."  Such commentary by the non-thinking and spiritually dead is all too common.  But it doesn't change the true meaning of what it means to be a follower of Christ.  So, what does it mean to be a Christian?

First of all, to be a Christian, you must first know who Christ is.  Biblically, He is God in flesh, second person of the Trinity (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9).  He is the great "I AM" (Exodus 3:14; John 8:58).  He is the savior who was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), who died, was buried, and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4), physically (John 2:19-21).  He alone is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).  Only by the name of Jesus may a person be saved (Acts 4:12) and all who do not trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of their sins will be judged (Matt. 25:41) accordingly.  Jesus is both God and man (Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:5; Phil. 2:5-8).  He is our eternal intercessor (Heb. 7:25) who mediates our salvation to the Father (1 Tim. 2:5).  To Him be the glory.

He is not merely some man who was wise (Secularism).  He was not the product of sexual relations between a god and goddess from another world (Mormonism).  He is not a man in tune with the divine consciousness (Christian Science).  He is not the first created thing in the universe (Jehovah's Witnesses).  He is not the harmonious, really-neat-teacher (New Age).  He is the creator of all things (Col. 1:16-17; Isaiah 44:24).  He is Lord!

Once you know who Jesus is, you must trust Him to forgive you of your sins.  Ask Him to forgive you.  He will.  Then, once you are saved, you are a Christian.  But, you are not a trophy to be placed on a shelf and left alone.  You are more like a pair of sneakers to be used.  That is what it means to be a Christian.  It means you have found the true Savior, not a false one of the cults.  It means you have been saved by God's grace, through faith (Eph. 2: and are now seeking to please Him in your life by following His commands (1 John 2:4).  Such obedience does not save you nor contribute to your salvation.  This obedience is motivated by love and thankfulness and is a response of being saved.

So, being a Christian means knowing the true Christ and following Him in truth.

However, in America, apostasy has reared its ugly head in the church.  There are those who do not hold Christ in the highest of regard, as God in flesh, and because they fail to do that, they fail to understand the gospel, they fail to become saved, and they fail to understand what it means to be a Christian.  Take the following quote as an example (Note: I am not suggesting all Methodist churches are like this): 

    "Glide Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco has this Call to Worship in their printed bulletin on Sunday and recited by the leader:  "We are all of us Christians, Jews, liberals, Bolsheviks, anarchists, socialists, Communists, Keynesians, Democrats, Civil Righters, Beatniks, ministers, moderate Republicans, pacifists, teachers, doctors, scientists, professors, Latin Americans, New Africans, Common Marketers, even Mao Tse-Tung. Doubtless. From Lyndon Johnson to Mao Tse-Tung, we are all Christians."   This church once preached the Gospel and from which, several decades ago, a most powerful evangelistic note was sounded. Today, many of its services are performed in the mode of the modern dance. Suggestive gyrations are indulged in and the church has become a haven for dope addicts, hippies, homosexuals, and sex-pots."  (Tan, Paul Lee, Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations (Garland, Texas: Bible Communications, Inc.) 1996.)

There is nothing wrong with ministering to the lost, but it is all for nothing if a false Christ and false hope of what it means to be a Christian is presented.  So, I ask you, are you a Christian?  Do you follow the true and living God the Son?  Do you trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of your sins?  Examine yourselves, as the Scripture says, and lean in Christ alone for the salvation that is freely offered (Rom. 6:23).

[islandboy]

When Christ returns, we'll see His face
And be transformed by His good grace;
Hope will become reality---
Much more than we could ever see.        Sper

[Soldier4Christ]

You become what you want

What do you want in life?  Car? House? Good job? Spouse? Kids? etc.... There is nothing wrong with wanting those things -- as long as they do not become more important than Jesus.  But what about wanting spiritual things?  Do you want a moldable, shapeable, humble, kind, gracious, and loving heart that is ready and willing to be used of the Lord for whatever He would have in store for you?  You might say yes, but if you do, read this paragraph again and see how much you really want to be moldable, shapeable....loving, etc.  Getting to that place isn't easy.  It is one thing to say we want Christian character.  It is another to pursue it.

In the garden of Adam and Eve, when the first two humans rebelled against God, they suffered the consequences of their rebellion and the Lord let them have what they wanted.  They sinned and hid themselves from God.  God let them do this and, surprisingly, He gave them what they asked for.  They decided to act independently of God's will and God let them have independence:  loss of fellowship with Him.  They did not trust in God's way of eternal life (keeping the Law in the garden -- remember, they were sinless at that time) and God let them have the consequences of it:  judgment by the law.  They covered themselves with their own works (fig leaves) and God let them have what they asked for:  hard work in the world.  Eve listened to the words of the serpent and for this rebellion was cursed with pain in childbirth.  Why? Because as the bearer of life under the arrangement of God's covenant, there was no suffering and God's command to multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28) would naturally and easily be fulfilled.  But, after sin, the very thing Eve was meant to do, bear life in a perfect world, would then be achieved in an imperfect world with the natural consequence of sin:  pain and suffering.

Let's bring it home.  We inherited the hearts of our ancient parents.  There is in us all a tendency towards rebellion and independence from God.  If you seek this independence either on purpose (by willful decision to reject God and/or His truth) or by accident (through actions or inactions not in harmony with God's word), then God will let you have what you want.  If you are an atheist who rejects God, He will let you have that rejection and your heart will become more and more atheistic.  If you are a Mormon who seeks to become a god, then He will let that desire in your heart grow until it crowds out the humility of standing before the only true God in the universe.  If you are a Jehovah's Witness who rejects the Trinity and believes that Jesus is a created thing, then He will allow your mind to grow cold and believe that a created thing can save you from your sins as you cooperate with God to become saved in part through your vain works.

If you were to read Romans 1:18-32, you'd see where the wrath of God's judgment upon the unbelievers is to give them over to the depravity of their hearts and minds.  God lets them have what they want.  I cannot help but wonder that when we Christians openly rebel against God in some (minor?) way, will God not let us also have what we want?  Will He not let us have our little rebellion and the consequences that go along with it?  Of course, this cannot mean that we lose our salvation because we have eternal life (John 10:27-28; 1 John 2:19).  But, are our hearts not affected by what we do and think and say?  Perhaps this is why we are admonished in Scripture to "... put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth," (Col. 3: and also, we are told "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things" (Phil. 4:.

I for one, do not want to give way to the pride and selfishness in my heart that have helped to shape me into what I am today.  Rather, I want the love, grace, and kindness of God to shape me and not the pride and rebellion of my flesh.  How can I do this?  I must choose what is good in thought, actions, and deed instead of choosing what is unholy.  When I have been wronged and I want to strike out in anger, hopefully I will instead choose to love.  When I am discouraged because of my circumstances, perhaps I will choose to have joy.  When I am disturbed by a pending problem, may I instead choose to be at peace.  When I am tempted to react quickly, may I choose patience.  When I am treated unjustly, I will try to choose kindness.  When someone is bad to me, perhaps I will show him goodness.  When others have not kept their word, I will choose to be faithful.  When others are harsh, I will seek to show gentleness.  And, when I want something quickly, I will try and show self-control.

It is because of what Jesus has done on the cross for me and Him giving me a new heart that will enable me to live and walk by faith (Hab. 2:4).  May He receive the glory.

Gal. 5:22-25 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

You become what you want.  What do you want?

[islandboy]

There's so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight's far too dim,
But come what may, I'll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.                      Overton

[Soldier4Christ]

Your Mind

The Bible sees the mind as that place of contemplation, judgment, and intention. Our minds allow us to be rational, to weigh evidence, to make decisions about right and wrong, options, etc. Our minds allow us to worship, praise God, pray, love, repent, and trust. In this we are made in God's image with the mental capacities not shared by any animal on the planet.

How many thoughts pass through our minds every day? It must be thousands. We constantly think and contemplate. If we multiply this by the number of years we live, then we undoubtedly produce millions and millions of thoughts. Furthermore, if we realize that we are to give account to God for all our words, then we are quickly sobered. Jesus said, "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it should come to light" (Mark 4:33). All we can do is humbly lay ourselves before God and be grateful for God's grace to us. Because of Christ's sacrifice He will not remember our sins, either of deed or of thought (Heb. 10:17). Thank you, Lord, and may you be praised for your kindness.　

Knowing that we are cleansed in Christ, we can then set our minds on godly things. "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:2-3). Notice what Paul says. He says that because we have died with Christ (trusted in Christ and been counted in Him on the cross), that we are to set our minds on the things above, not the things on earth. Paul is not saying we can't think about our mortgage, food prices, family, etc. He is stating that our minds need to be focused on God, on living the Word, on presenting Christ to the lost, on God's glory, etc. We are not our own. We belong to the one who has purchased us with His blood, (Acts 20:28) and are indwelt by God Himself (John 14:23). Our minds are to be taken into the service of godliness. Our thoughts are to be holy.

Again, praise be to God for His grace to us in revealing to us what our minds are to focus on: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things" (Phil. 4:. Within the confines of our daily lives, are we guiding our thoughts to dwell on what is pure, lovely, good, excellent, and worthy of praise?

The more you read God's word and the more you humble yourself in prayer, the more you are able to set your minds on the things that are above. You cannot be godly in your mind apart from the strength of God's presence. This is why you must seek God and be close to Him in fellowship (1 Cor. 1:9). In His presence, your mind is changed and your heart is moved. As Moses' face shined with the glory of God after leaving His Almighty presence, so too will your mind shine with the glory of God as you spend time in devotion to the Lord. Let your mind dwell on God's mercy, goodness, love, kindness, grace, provision, and faithfulness. Memorize scriptures that deal with God's holiness and purity. Wash yourself with the Word. Spend time in prayer with God and seek His will and guidance. He desires to be with you (Ex. 25:.

    "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:2).

[islandboy]

Almighty, matchless, glorious God,
Inhabiting eternity,
I bow to You and give You praise,
In awe that You can live in me.        Sper