2013-10-04
Good Morning Dear Ones,
As you already know, this segment of the “Our Covenant” messages is “Our Covenant Bond.” It is preparing us to deal with the overarching question: We all want unconditional love; are we willing and able to give it?” Last week’s message saw the many ways that God blesses us with various kinds of strength, with His willingness to work with us in the process of sanctification (perfecting and purifying us), and equipping us to be successful against the adversary in spiritual warfare. We looked at 1 COR 2: 9-16, which compared human wisdom with that which only the Holy Spirit can impart. This week, we will deal with what the “transformation by the renewal of one’s mind” [RO 12:2] actually means.
There is a complete change in one’s paradigm [ideal model] when “transformation by the renewal of one’s mind” takes place. Instead of materialism, jealousy, greed, destructive anger exerting itself in grudges, for example, we see a picture of Jesus, the gentle, patient, kind, humble, Man become the ideal of our lives. This change in attitude causes a change in our thought processes, our words, our behavior toward others, and certainly our recognition of the need to rely on the Lord. And this change doesn’t come overnight. It comes to us gradually in the process of sanctification. If we read PHIL 2: 2-8 we see a very different picture than the one I drew of my old self last week. First review 2 COR 5: 17, “Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” When the word of God becomes the script for our life, we discover a unity and peace with other believers. That like-mindedness is no accident. We begin the process of being one in the Body of Christ. Sadly, mankind’s sinful nature has led us to divide into many denominations, but this author believes that God didn’t intend for this to happen. All these denominational differences will be resolved in heaven, so that those denizens of heaven really will be one in the Body of Christ. The habit of study of God’s word and prayer with a focus on understanding its content as God would have it understood certainly aid in achieving unity. A sanctified spirit will be making God’s agenda his own. If there is any question of God’s attitude toward us being unified, let PS 133:1-3 settle it. “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.”
The next change is that people who truly live in Christ are no longer selfish and self-centered. PHIL 2: 3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but humbly consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” This is huge, because when human nature rules, we never consider the interests of others or only do so when there is something in it for us. You’ll notice this verse says, “not only to your own interests but also to the interest of others.” This is not saying only look to those of others, which if done, leaves the person in question so passive as to not be a balanced personality. Only looking out for one’s own interests leaves him selfish and often aggressive. Instead, it is a balance between taking care of oneself and taking care of others. Selfish ambition is aggressive and a common trait of people who are walking over the needs of others or even God’s ethics to get ahead. Vain conceit is never taking the time to discover what can be learned from others or what value others have-always thinking of oneself as better than others. Remember PR 16: 18, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
The issue of humility before God and others is another huge area to consider in this transformation. Christ gave us the model for how to be humble, and a large part of it was realizing that even He is not as great as the Father Himself. PHIL 2: 5-8, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient in death even death on a cross!” When the hard core of pride is broken, the mantle of a true servant can be taken on. We use Christ’s model as described in MT 20: 26-28 as Christ spoke to His disciples. “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Peter also addressed himself to this teaching about humility, in 1 PET 5: 6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” All these beneficial shifts in attitude toward that which conforms to the Lord’s are only a part of the tremendous changes that He affects in a maturing believer in Jesus Christ. Next week, we’ll look at even more changes as we move closer to answering the overarching question in italics above.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before You with reverence and awe, with praise and thanks. We thank You for Your presence in our lives and for working so hard every day to, with our cooperation, sanctify us. You give leadership to our lives which is beneficial, righteous, kind, and constant. You choose never to abandon us [PS 9: 9-10]. We are imperfect and in need of Your presence and intervention. We recognize that we can’t gain eternal life without You. Our human natures give rise to an often painful conflict between themselves and the Holy Spirit within us. You have taught us that human nature and Your Spirit are opposites and will enter into this conflict [GA 5: 16-17; RO 7: 14-25]. There are times when we will rise in anger and frustration, asking, “Where is God!?” This often happens when we are amidst these painful lessons that must be taught by You, or when we see the waste of human potential or life. And yet, You are willing to listen to every prayer we offer, patiently and with compassion. We acknowledge Your superior wisdom and Your sovereignty. We ask for Your guidance and pledge to obey Your direction. When we are weak, we acknowledge Your willingness to help pick us up, uplift our spirits, and lead us through our trials. PS 40: 1-3, “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a Rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Dearest Abba, we offer You our utmost thanks, honor, glory, and praise for all You are and all You do. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ we offer this prayer. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: As we continue leading up to the main question of this segment, we will examine our responses to trials and relationships, our choice of friends, and the changes in our outside interests that are brought about in the “transformation by the renewal of our mind.” What has been covered so far indicates the intimacy of a true covenant relationship between ourselves and God. There is no part of our lives that isn’t impacted by this relationship. When we are told, that “we are new creations” in 2 COR 5: 17, we must understand the totality of changes that go on in this transformation. If my own life is an example, we become a completely different person than before. This is one time when that’s better than just okay; it’s a huge blessing! We must never forget the great sacrifice that the Father made of His Son on the cross just for us! He wants us to return to Him in heaven for a life of eternal bless and fellowship there [JN 6: 39-40; EPH 1: 4-5]. That’s how important this matter of our redemption is to our Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Every one of God’s three personalities has a part in this process. When we are transformed sufficiently, He has told us we can be glorified and enjoy eternal life with Him. How can we forget 1 JN 4: 19, “We love because He first loved us?” Our God is reaching down to each one of us today and every day to guide us through the changes we must make, to encourage us that we can make them, and to show us what love truly is. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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