The Mind of Christ
The mind of Christ is extremely different than that of our own. I know this because, through the last seven and a half years, the Holy spirit has continued to cleanse and renew my mind (Romans 12:2). God's Spirit not only changes the way we think, but also the way we behave, feel, and speak. I've gained a new, refreshing perspective and outlook compared to what I used to have. My mind continues to be renewed and refined each and every day as God shows me my erroneous, deceptive, and faulty thinking. In turn, this allows me to see things His way. This has been both enjoyable and difficult, yet so liberating. John 8:32 states Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. When God shows us the reality of our futile thoughts, we gain understanding and can begin to think His way. I am not saying I know it all; in fact, I believe this renewing process will take the entire duration of my life! But I've asked and allowed God to make me into the person He wants me to be. By doing this, I've become more loving, compassionate, patient, and kind. On top of that, I don't behave the way I used to or say some of the things I used to say. (I won't elaborate on these changes much because I want to focus on the mind of Christ, and also because you can read these changes in my other blog posts.) However, I do want to say that I only know what the Holy Spirit has taught or showed me thus far. There are still many things God is still teaching me, but my hope is that by sharing some of what I do know, it will encourage you and give you hope.
Let's begin by focusing on Jesus. We know that Jesus was not selfish nor self-serving because Mark 10:45 tells us, For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus came to be a ransom, and to do the will of the Father. Furthermore, when Jesus Christ was on earth, He displayed the utmost humility, compassion, and loving-kindness. That is who he genuinely and naturally is! Also, we know that all the things he did honored and glorified the Heavenly Father. He was not focused on the things of the world (or the things we care and worry about), but he focused on the things of God. He depended solely on God, and we are to follow his example. Ephesians 4:20-24 says that we naturally have corrupt and deceitful ways within us. Yet, 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
You see, we must quit our unhealthy and toxic ways of thinking and behaving, and stop doing the things we know are wrong. Then, we must behave the way Jesus did. In doing so, we will become more like Christ. Then ultimately, we can be all God created us to be. With God's help, I am confident we can achieve this. We will not be perfect, but we will be more like Christ and that is all He asks. God has not left us to do this all by ourselves, but He has given us the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ to help us! 1 Corinthians 2:16 says, For, "Who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?" But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
Some of us struggle with this because we are double-minded. This not only causes difficulties in our walk with Christ, but also life in general. What does being double-minded mean you might ask? It simply means that we constantly go back and forth between two things. This could be to follow Christ, or not to follow Christ. To stop smoking or to keep smoking; to leave a relationship or stay in it. We may have the desire to do good, but we don't. We want to stop gossiping; yet, we continue to gossip. This is not how we ought to live, yet so many of us do. The prophet Elijah asked the Israelites in 1 Kings 18:21, How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. That question can also be asked of us. James 1:8 says that a double-minded person is unstable in all they do. If we continue to waver between two decisions, we will never be successful or able to complete our God-given destiny; we will just continue to be unstable in all we do.
Jesus was not double-minded, nor was he unstable, which allowed him to fulfill his tasks. Some of these tasks were to: save the lost (Luke 19:10); give his life as a ransom (Matthew 20:28); to do God's Will (John 6:38); to give us abundant life (John 10:10); to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17) and so much more. If Jesus was double-minded, we would not have salvation or eternal life. To have have the mind of Christ, we must accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then the Father will give us the Holy Spirit. When this happens, the Holy Spirit will begin changing us from within and renewing our minds (if we yield to him and let him). Yet, we have to make make up our mind to accept and follow Christ; we must want to change. If we are believers in God, Romans 8:9 tells reminds us, But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. We also must take our thoughts captive and force them under the obedience of Jesus Christ. We cannot let our thoughts and emotions dictate and control us. 2 Corinthian 10:5 says it this way, We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Our Heavenly Father has given us the tools, and all that we need to succeed. He's given us the Holy Spirit, and the mind of Christ. He's also given us His Word, and other believers in Christ so that we can live more victoriously and become all that He has called us to be. So now I ask you, do you believe you have the mind of Christ and will you allow the Holy Spirit to renew your mind?
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
I give You praise. You are our Creator and Maker. You know all things, and You work them for our good (Romans 8:28). Thank You for this message and for the readers. Father, we acknowledge and confess that we often waver between what we want to do, and what You want us to do. Because of this, we stumble, wander, get lost, and become unstable. Lord, help us to not be double-minded, but to set our minds on You and keep it set. We know that You are the Lord, but fail to follow Your ways. Teach us how to become like Christ, and to set our minds on the things above (Colossians 3:2), not on the things of the world (idolatry, lust, envy, strife, anger (Galatians 5:19-21)). Show us the things we need to stop doing, and what we need to start doing. Show us how to put off our old ways, and to put on the mind of Christ. May Your Holy Spirit teach us and lead us in this walk and in all that we do. Thank You for giving us what we need to be successful. All praise and glory to You. In Jesus' name, amen.
Prayerfully,
Pam
