March 30, 2015                                       WHEREVER  YOU   GO

Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

What a confidence booster for Joshua! Surely these were comforting, reassuring words for Joshua to hear for the challenge he was about to face. Joshua had been commissioned by God to lead the Israelites into the promised- land; a beautiful land full of “milk and honey”, but also full of the enemies of the children of Israel. As you read the book of Joshua, you will find that Joshua had a heart to fully follow and obey whatever God commanded and as a result, God gave Joshua great success.                                                                                                                                    The good news is that we can have the same assurance that our God is with us wherever we go! In the New Covenant that God has inaugurated, we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit living in us. No matter where we go, God is present! Because God is with us wherever we go, we can be “strong and courageous” just as Joshua was when he went to battle. In the day in which we live, we stand in great need of those who will “be strong and courageous” – those who will go out to fight the battles that God puts before us. Because Joshua’s heart was turned to the Lord and because Joshua trusted the Lord fully, God gave him victory. Actually, God fought the battles, and He will fight the battles for us-our part is to go out to face the enemy, ready to fight. It is God who gives us the victory. In the natural, the idea of going in and taking the promised land was a daunting task to say the least. According to the spy’s report, there were giants in the land and it would be impossible for a group of unarmed desert wonderers to defeat the giants. However, two of the spies knew that God would give them the land just as He said He would do-in spite of the giants. We will face “giants” just as Joshua did, but we must remember that it is our part to go out and face the giants, and it is God’s part to give us victory. We are not to be inactive and there will be steps or actions that we take in the battle as the Lord leads.

I am sure that we all want to know that the Lord is with us wherever we go. As I stated above, we have the Holy Spirit living in us and He does not come and go-He is always in us. However, it is possible for us to grieve the Holy Spirit and it is possible for us to walk according to our own ways, not obeying the Spirit. If and when we disregard the Holy Spirit, we are not aware of His being with us “wherever we go” and we cannot be assured of victory.  It is God’s desire that we be strong and courageous because our trust is in Him and not in ourselves. If there is but one thing to know in life; it is that God goes with us wherever we go! So, let us have a heart to follow God fully by   hearing and obeying everything He says to us. The plans God has for us far exceed any plans we may have apart from Him. God is looking for those individuals whose heart is turned to Him-and He will show Himself strong on their behalf.

2 Chronicles 16:9:  “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”

2 Corinthians 10:3-4: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”

John 14:16-17: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.”

 

Blessings,

Buddy

March 25, 2015                                  WHY  BAD  THINGS  HAPPEN

John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me  you may have peace. In this world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.”                                                                                                                          In a recent conversation with my son, he was asking the question that we all ask at times: “Why do bad things happen?” Recently, my son has had two associates that died unexpectedly and one that that experienced a serious heart condition and it has caused him to “wrestle” with why these things happen with no respect to person.  I certainly can’t answer this question and nor do I think that anyone can answer in a definitive way. However, I think that in God’s word we can gain some understanding and we can find comfort when it comes to the issue of tragedy and trials. As a start, we need to accept the fact that we will have tribulation in this world just as Jesus said we would in the verse above. We all know that we reap some “bad” things as a result of wrong decisions and choices on our part. For example, if I allow myself to be addicted to drugs, trouble will come my way. We can also say for certain that when one chooses to disregard all that God has said, there will be a harvest of bad fruit.  But what about the one who loves God that experiences tragedy and trial that is not of their own making?  Before Adam and Eve sinned, earth was a paradise-a perfect place to live. However, sin entered the world when Adam and Eve sinned and since that time, man has lived in a fallen world. In this fallen world, we see the result, or the fruit of sin.  However, Jesus came to this fallen world to redeem and bring salvation to all who believe in Him. As Christians, we have been forgiven and have been made new, but we still live in a fallen world-we are still waiting for our full redemption. When Jesus returns, we will get a new body and evil will be done away with and what a great day that will be! In the meantime, it is God’s plan that we be light in a dark world, and that we overcome the darkness and evil that is present in the world in which we live. In a sense, God is allowing sin to run its course- but the course will end one day. Also, we must know that in our weakness and in our trial, God will be with us and He will show Himself strong on our behalf. When trials do come our way, we have the opportunity to demonstrate the power of God in the midst of the trial. Jesus, as well as the writers of the New Testament, and many others suffered trials and hardship, and their response is our example to follow even as we face our own trials. One thing that trials do is that they reveal where our focus is in life-the temporal or the eternal.  So, let us not be surprised that we have tribulations in life, but let us discover that we can overcome the trials because Jesus overcame the world. Even in a fallen world, we can experience abundant, over-flowing life in the good days and the “bad” days. We can find great comfort in the fact that one day our redemption will be complete and sin will be no more. One day, there will be no need for police, fire departments, doctors, armies, —because Jesus will be reigning.  As the song says-“The King is Coming”!

1 Peter 4:12-13: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.”

Revelation 21:4: “and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Blessings,

Buddy

March 22, 2015                                     EYES  OF  THE  HEART

Ephesians 1:18-19b: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what or the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward those who believe.”

Ephesians 3:16-19: “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power  through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

God is for us! God loves us! God wants us to be free!  There are many distractions in life that come our way. We are bombarded daily with the news of war, crime, sickness, death, financial crisis, the breakdown of government, unemployment, addictions, and the list goes on. If not careful, we will lose sight of the basics of what being a Christian is all about.  Even though we have been redeemed and have been made new, there are times when we have to remind ourselves of who we are and who God is. Renewing our mind is an on-going process. Reading the scriptures daily is not a burden, but is essential if we are to be renewed day by day. When we are renewed in our mind and spirit, we are able to deal with the distractions, the problems, and the conflicts that come our way from the position of being the overcomer that God has made us to be. We put priority on mental understanding, but knowing who God is and what He is like with our minds only is insufficient. In the verse above, Paul prayed that “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened”. What we know in our heart is what makes the difference and it is what motivates us. We may begin by knowing the truth in our mind, but we need God to reveal His truth deep within our hearts because we live out of our heart. Knowing the love of Christ surpasses knowledge. The Apostle Paul did not endure the many trials he faced because of his mental knowledge, but because he knew God in his heart. It was Paul’s prayer and his desire that believers would know the unsearchable riches that God has for those who believe. It is God’s will that we know the “surpassing greatness of His power” toward those who believe. Paul summed up his prayer by praying that we “would be filled up to all the fullness of God”-wow! To be filled up to the fullness of God is not just a wish that we might have; but it is God’s desire for us to be just that-filled up with Him. How do we get filled up with God? There are no three easy steps, but for sure it begins with asking God to reveal His truth in our hearts. Also, as we read His word, we can ask the Holy Spirit to give understanding-to open our eyes. As we meditate on what we read in the word, the word takes root in us. We cultivate faith in what God says and we choose His way over our way. Let us be quick to obey whatever God says. Yield ourselves totally to God and ask Him to change us in any way He desires. Chose to be good soil so that whatever God plants in us, it will bring about good fruit.

Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Psalms 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.”

Blessings,

Buddy

March 18, 2015                                      JUST  AS  HE  COMMANDED

1 John 3:7: “Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;”

1 John 3:22-24: “and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given.”

To take the name of “Christian” is no small matter as it means we are not who we use to be-things are different-we are a new people. There is really no way to blend the old person we use to be, with the new person we are now. It is true that we still have the same physical body and we still live in the here and now, however, our heart has been made new. It must be said that we, even as believers, can quench the work that God has done and is doing in us but not without loss of peace and purpose. With that being said, it is God’s plan and His desire for us to live according to our true identity and thus experience life to the fullest. God has provided the scriptures and has given us the Holy Spirit in order that we can learn our true identity. The world presents the counterfeit to the truth by telling us that making “self” happy is the goal in life. Believers are called to live their lives in such a way that it is consistent with the gospel and are in keeping with what Jesus taught and demonstrated. We are not clones, and we are each unique; but we are called to live as His children-a life that is well defined. The word “Christian” means to be “like Christ.” This does not mean we never sin or falter, but that we have a heart to walk in His ways. As with scriptures in general, what is said in the verses above is easily understood but yet profound. If we are practicing righteousness, then we are righteous; and we practice righteousness because our Father is righteous! There is a warning not to be deceived and the warning is that it’s not enough just to say that we are Christians or just to say that we are righteous. There is a popular teaching that says it does not matter what we do because we are saved by grace and that is all that really matters and so we, in a sense, excuse wrong actions and wrong thought based on this misconception. When we discover that God is our Father and we know His love, we want to keep His word-His commandments, and in fact, it is our joy to keep His word because His words are life. In these verses, there is a connection between keeping His commandments and doing the things that please Him and having our prayers answered! Also, God abides in the one who keeps His commandments. We are not saved by keeping His commandments, and unlike the people in the Old Testament, we can keep the commandments that Jesus has given-because He lives in us. The key word is “believe;” as we live out of what we believe-not what we say we believe. The gospel, including  the “commandments”, are all based on love because God is love, and because we love Him, we naturally want to do the things that are pleasing to Him.  There is a book by Peter Lord called Turkey and Eagles and it is about discovering our identity as Christians. There was a young Eagle who got lost from his parents and this Eagle started living with a group of turkeys. The Eagle spent a lot of time walking around searching for food on the ground-life was difficult and unfulfilling. Finally, the Eagle discovered that he could fly-that he could soar up high above the ground-he discovered that He was an Eagle. As it was with the Eagle, it’s a great day when we learn that we are sons and daughters of God. May we view scriptures as revealing our true identity and may our lives reflect our Father.

Matthew 11:29-30: “Take MY yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and MY load is light.”

James 1:22:  “But prove yourselves to be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

Blessings,    Buddy

March 15, 2015                                TEACH  US  TO  PRAY

In Luke, chapter eleven, in response to the disciples asking Jesus to teach them how to pray, Jesus gave specific instruction on prayer.  Also in Matthew chapter six, Jesus giving instruction on how His followers are to pray and here we find what is known as the “Lord’s Prayer.” Even though prayer is the most powerful thing we can do; we may find ourselves taking prayer for granted. Our prayers are not limited to repeating the Lord’s Prayer word for word; however, the Lord’s Prayer does give the essential elements of prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is found in Matthew 6:9-13. Prayer starts with the awareness that God is our Father. It’s important to note the word “our” Father-Jesus was saying that God was His Father and He is our Father as well. To know God as Father is the greatest truth that one can know. “Hallowed” means to honor as holy, so we should begin our prayer by acknowledging that He is holy. Our posture in life, our desire should be that of-“Thy kingdom come” because it is God’s desire that we, and those around us, experience His kingdom where we live. The basis of prayer is that we want His will to be done and not our will because His will is perfect, and what He wills, is what we need. And, His will can be experienced not just in heaven, but here on earth.  We are to realize that the food we have to eat is supplied by our Father and in fact, He is the source of all we need. We have all sinned and were “indebted” to God, and even though God has forgiven us, it’s good to remember and to acknowledge that we are forgiven. Just as we have been forgiven, we should extend forgiveness to others. God does not temp us but we may put ourselves in a place of temptation, so we should ask God to direct our steps in order that we will not be tempted. As we follow God’s leading, we will be delivered from evil. The supreme thing in all of life-in all of creation- is the Kingdom of God and His power and His glory that will last forever. We are privileged and blessed beyond all people, to be a part of His kingdom. The essence of the Lords’ prayer is that of acknowledging Him for all that He is, and then putting all of our trust and confidence in Him on a daily basis. In chapters five through seven of Matthew, Jesus spells out how we are to live as His disciples, and as you read these chapters, you will see a clear picture of what it looks like to live in the kingdom of God. Living in and experiencing the Kingdom of God on earth is in great contrast to living outside His kingdom- the kingdom of darkness. Jesus came to usher in His kingdom and He left us instruction concerning life in His kingdom and through prayer, we can talk to our Father, who is in heaven!

Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Matthew 21:22: “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.”

James 5:16: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

1 John 3:22: “and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”

Blessings,

Buddy

March 12, 2015                                    A  GIFT  TO  JESUS

John 6:45: “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.”

John 6:37: “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

Have you ever thought of yourself as being a gift given to Jesus? It’s not our subject today, but there is much debate and there are different opinions about the free will of man and election. However, the scriptures clearly teach that God initiates, or calls one to salvation. God came to “seek and save those who were lost.” The origin of our salvation is God Himself and Jesus came to redeem those that God  “calls” to salvation. John 6:44 says that “No man can come to Me, except the Father which has sent Me draw him.” It’s not our place to know or decide who God has called, or not called to salvation.  Those who are believers are believers because at some point in their life they realized that God was indeed calling them to Himself. We can’t fully understand the triune nature of God with our finite minds, but even though Jesus was God, or in God, He was also man. The purpose of Jesus coming to die on the cross was for our salvation-to be the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Jesus calls us His brothers and He said that he and we have the same Father. It’s clear that God values-He likes-family, and through salvation, we are part of His family. In fact, God “values” us, loves His family (us) so much that He sent His Son to die for us.  A no-brainer, but God loved His Son and because Jesus willingly came and lived and died for those that God called- and is calling- God gave these to Jesus. No matter who our parents were or no matter what our past is like, we are not “accidents” and we are not just some random person among millions. We were designed and created by God, or in other words, we are fathered by God-that may be a stretch for us to comprehend-but nonetheless it’s true. God knew us long before we were born physically and God knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows the length of our days and He knows every detail of our lives. We are not valuable or important in and of ourselves, but our value comes from having been joined to Christ and we have been joined to Him because of the love that the Father has for us. Realizing that our value comes from God and not ourselves, results in the right spirit of humility.  At the same time, because we are in Christ, the scriptures say that we can do all things through Him. So, it is important to understand how God sees us and to understand that He gave Jesus a very special gift-you and I. He gave us as a gift to Jesus because His love for us was the reason He came and died for us-His brothers and sisters! When Adam and Eve sinned, the relationship and fellowship between God and man was broken. Now, Jesus has come and once again we can have fellowship with the Father. Let us not take for granted our reconciliation with God and let us realize that we have been placed into the family of God! God calls us a “gift”- a gift given to His Son. Wow!

John 15:9: “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.”

John 16:27: “for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father.”

John 17:6: “I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thy gavest Me out of the world. Thine they were, and Thou hast given them to Me, and they have kept thy Word.”

Blessings,

Buddy

March 8, 2015                                                   SEEING  THE  INVISIBLE

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

2 Corinthians 4:18  “…while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We tend to focus on and be greatly influenced by the “here and now”-the temporal. Although it may seem natural to focus on the here and now, the consequences have a negative impact on our lives. We do live in a natural world and we have to deal with the day to day issues of life and the scriptures are full of instructions on how we are to live in the present. The real issue is the focus of our heart and the source of our confidence and hope-or the reason we live like we do. If our hope is based on our circumstances, then our hope will rise and fall with the circumstances. The reality is that we cannot guarantee pleasant circumstances as much of what happens around us is beyond our control.  Americans tend to be “practical-minded” by nature and thus may have some difficulty with the idea of looking at “the things that are not seen.” However, the verses above present a basic truth that is foundational to our spiritual well-being and if we miss this truth, we will live a life of up’s and down’s with no sure foundation. It does take faith to believe that the things not seen are the eternal things-things that will not pass away. Everything we see will pass away. I think that mankind knows intuitively that there is something “out there”-something greater than life. Throughout history man has worshiped something or someone. The true God, the only God, has revealed Himself through Jesus and His written word and He has awakened us to the spiritual world that is more real that the world we see with our eyes. God allowed the Apostle Paul to see into the spiritual world and what Paul saw was so great and so awesome that words could not describe it and whatever he saw, changed his life forever. Even in a cold prison, even while being beaten, shipwrecked, left alone-Paul never lost the hope that was within him because he knew that whatever he was going through, it was temporal and he understood that what was taking place was “bigger” than the temporal. God has enabled us through the scriptures and the Holy Spirit in us, to see the invisible! Those that do not know God are limited to the temporal.  The kingdom of God is eternal and yet, as believers, can live in and experience the kingdom of God even in this natural world in which we live!! The ways of the Kingdom of God are unlike the ways of this world and this is what makes the lives’ of believers different from the unbelieving. Seeing the invisible affects how we live in the temporal-and that’s the main point. If we have tasted, if we know of the things that God has for us; then we will not be defeated or disillusioned by the adversity that comes our way. As it was with Paul, we too can even rejoice in our trials because we know that God has a purpose for the trial and we will be rewarded. To rejoice in the midst of a trial, we have to be able to see the invisible-the eternal. The Kingdom of God is more real than this earthly kingdom, and even though we cannot see the Kingdom of God with the eyes, we can see the impact-or the fruit-of God’s Kingdom. We can see one rejoicing in the trial; we can see love in action; we can see changes that God brings about in someone; we can see forgiveness being extended; we can see the hope that one has in the midst of adverse circumstances. We can’t see the wind, but we can see the results of the wind; and so it is with the Kingdom of God on earth. May the lives we live be anchored in the unseen, the eternal; and may our hope abound no matter what is taking place around us.

Hebrews 11:3: “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”

2 Corinthians 5:7: “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Colossians 1:13: “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”

Blessings,

Buddy

March 5, 2015                                    PRACTICE  THESE  THINGS

Philippians 4: 9b:   “practice these things and the God of peace shall be with you.”

God is super-natural and the life of a believer is a supernatural life. However, the scriptures give very clear, concise and practical insights on how to live this supernatural life. Thank God that there is not some “secret code” we have to figure out, but God has made His ways understandable and do-able; and  we have been given the ability to respond to God. We can know the ways of God and we can respond to God only by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. In the verse above, there is a promise; a promise that if we put into practice “these things”, the God of peace will be with us. It is not enough to “know” what to do, or to just “know” the truth-that’s the point Paul is making. In Philippians 4, Paul lists a number of things we are to “practice”; including such things as: rejoicing in the Lord, forbearing, being anxious for nothing, praying, being thankful, thinking on the right things (see verses 7-9). In Romans 12, we find other things to put into practice, including; presenting our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, not conforming to the world but being renewed in our mind, not thinking to highly of ourselves, exercising  the gift that God has given us, loving without hypocrisy, abhorring  what is evil,  devoted to one another in brotherly  love, preferring others, being diligent, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, giving to those in need, practicing hospitality, blessing those who persecute us, rejoicing with those who rejoice, weeping  with those who weep, being of the same mind toward one another, associating  with the lowly, not paying back evil with evil, feeding  you enemy if he is hungry, and not being overcome with evil, but overcoming evil with good. We find many other admonitions and things “to practice” throughout the scriptures. All of these things we are to “practice”, reflect the very nature of God and as we do practice these things, we reflect the character of God. The main idea is that we have been called, not to be God, but to be like God in our thoughts and in our conduct. Indeed, the good news of the gospel is that we have not only been forgiven of our sins, we have also been made new people-people who can know God and can be expressions of Him on planet earth. In the New Testament we find several occasions where there were words of correction to some who were not putting into practice the things given in scripture and in one place James proclaims: “My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.” (James 3:10)  We need to understand, or be reminded of the fact, that we are not our own and that we have been called to represent Him with the life we live. It is a serious issue when we choose to live or act in a way that contradicts our calling to be like Him and not to live according to the new person that we have been made to be. At times we will act or think in such a way that is contrary to our calling, and when we do, we can simply confess that to our Father knowing that we have His forgiveness. It is so critical that we welcome any word of needed correction that God, or perhaps another person, gives us- knowing that it is for our own good. I think that how we respond when we realize we are wrong is one of the big tell-tell sings of our spiritual health. We do not have to live in fear of not pleasing the Lord; the emphasis is on discovering our new identity in the Lord and living accordingly. Let us choose to “practice these things” so that the peace of God will be with us.

James 1:25: “But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.”

John 14:23: “Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him.”

Blessings,

Buddy

 

March 1, 2015                                     BE  TRANSFORMED

Romans 12:2: “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.                                                             It is awesome to realize that we are not just improved, but actually transformed when our mind is renewed. The book shelves are lined with books that tell us we need to have “positive thinking” and companies pay big-bucks for “motivation speakers” that sell the employees on the benefits of positive thinking. After reading a book on positive thinking, or hearing a dynamic motivation speaker, one may have resolve to think positively, but normally the resolve wanes rapidly when reality sets in. In Romans 12:2, the subject goes far beyond positive thinking; it is talking about a renewal of our mind-not just an improved mind. A mind that is not “renewed”, leads to a life that conforms to this world.  There is a “this” world and there is a “kingdom of God” world and the two or opposite. We have been made a part of God’s kingdom and we now have the ability to think in such a way that is in harmony with how God thinks. We must realize that we cannot merge the thinking of the world with the thinking of the Kingdom of God. How we think determines how we live-we are known by how we think. In Psalms 23:7 we read: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Only believers have the opportunity to have their minds renewed. Also, having our mind renewed is not a one- time deal, but a continual process- day by day.  The message of “not being conformed to the world” has a strong appeal and certainly such a message sounds “spiritual.” Some have made it their major issue and commitment to “not conform to the world.” The good news for us is that when our mind is renewed, we will not be conformed to the world because our thinking will not lead to conformity with the world. If we get the thinking right-get it renewed-then our focus and direction in life will be right. When a believer’s thinking is not from a renewed mind, it leads to living according to the flesh. On the other hand, when our mind is renewed by the Spirit of God, we will then know or prove what the will of God is for us and we will discover that His will leads to that which is “good and acceptable and perfect.”  There is no magic formula, but we get a renewed mind as we seek Him first, by becoming familiar with His word, as we choose His way over our way, by thinking and responding as God would, as we believe and obey what He says and by having a heart to know Him. Also, as we respond to just one thing God says to us, we will begin to hear God saying more and more to us and we will find ourselves looking forward to what God has to say. There is nothing greater that knowing God’s will for us and then living according to His will. God has a will and He wants us to know His will and live in His will because He alone is the source of life as it is intended to be. God has made us His people; He has given us new minds; and He invites us to be involved in His purposes in this world. It’s my prayer that each of us will continue to discover all that God has done and continues to do in the lives of those who have put their faith and hope and trust in Him.

1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excelliencies  of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

1 Corinthians 3:16: “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that we should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

Philippians 4:8: “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. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Blessings,

Buddy