Read 2 Peter 1:19-21
My youngest son asked a pertinent question as we were watching the DVD series of Matthew’s gospel. He said in his young, innocent voice, ‘How can we know that the Bible is true?’ How would you answer that question? What would you say? I suspect that you will get that question a lot as you talk more about your faith and open up about your love for the Lord.
God’s own word assures us that no prophecy originated from the prophet’s own interpretation. Of course there are so called prophets, liars, who claimed to be speaking from God (see Jeremiah 20:6) but God is talking about his Word, the Bible. Prophesy or Scripture did not originate with an idea born in the mind of a person. Rather, men spoke as they were carried along by God the Holy Spirit. God inspired certain men to write down His own thoughts and Words for all to read. The Westminster Confession of Faith declares that the Holy Spirit confirms with our spirit that when we are reading the Bible, it is the very Word of God we are hearing.
You can be 100% confident that the bible is the unadulterated Word of God given from God for you. Let me encourage you to read Psalm 119 when you have a spare few hours (which is about 176 verses long!!! - Doh! ) and jot down what the writer says about God’s Word (or laws or commands) and how he uses it to help him fight against sin in his own life. It really will be a profitable exercise. The conclusion you’ll come to is that God’s Word is vital for us to be walking daily in victory. We need to be immersed in it. We need to be growing in it, learning it and soaking it up as much as we can. As we grow in the Word we grow in knowledge (not just head knowledge but heart knowledge and relationship with God) of God and we grow closer to God. The closer we are to God the more we will walk in victory day by day. You will never enjoy the spoils of victory if you keep God at arm’s length or if you have a ‘she’ll be right’ kind of faith.
Prayer:-
V Pray for God to raise up new leaders at Student Life at USQ.
V Pray for students to be reaching their friends with the Gospel.
Pray for Student Life's initiative with launching movements in Perth this year.
Developing Godly Habits #2
When ever you read the Word get into the habit of asking yourself, ‘So What?’ It’s not a rude question but a question of what God wants me to be doing. So what does God want from me
Reading the Bible should affect your head, heart and hands.
Your head is the way you think about things. Your heart is your emotions and your hands are the way that you act or do things.
When you have read the Bible ask yourself ‘So what? What does this mean for my head, my heart or my hands?’
Some passages will affect all three areas. Some will affect only 1 or 2 of them.
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Wednesday June 15, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:19
The world is getting both better and worse! Huh? It’s getting better in terms of our understanding of things, our ability to fix things and our ability to make things better, faster or smaller - just for example. As a child a heart transplant was unheard of and largely unthinkable. Now it happens with common regularity! We can travel across the globe with unheard of speed. We can see to the far reaches of the universe. But at the same time it’s getting worse. As technology grows and expands our sins seem to grow with it. We can kill more people now with less effort than ever before. We can spy on people's privacy more easily. We can access any number of sinful things (from porn to bomb making to magical incantations) on the web. And to top it all off, there are many many people (many from inside the church) trying to nullify the Word and to prove it wrong. There is a growing desire to eradicate the Word.
But praise the Lord, it is in this dark world that the Word of God shines ever more brightly. We are assured by God that this word is a sure word. “The testimony of the Lord is sure” (Psalms 19:7). “Thy testimonies are very sure” (Psalms 93:5). “All His commandments are sure” (Psalms 111:7). “Therefore I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalms 119:128).
It is also a shining Word. God is light and His Word is light. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105). When Jesus Christ began His ministry, “the people who sat in darkness saw a great light” (Matthew 4:16). His coming into this world was the dawning of a new day (Luke 1:78). We Christians are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14–16), and it is our privilege and responsibility to hold forth the Word of life - God’s light\ - so that men might see the way and be saved (Philippians 2:14–16).
No wonder God says that we ‘will do well to pay attention to it!’. As believers, we must heed this Word and govern our lives by what it says. For unbelievers, things will get darker and darker, until they end up in eternal darkness; but God’s people are looking for the return of Jesus Christ and the dawning of the new day of glory. The false teachers scoffed at the idea of Christ’s return and the dawning of a new day, but Peter affirmed the truth of the sure Word of God. “But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night” (2 Peter 3:10).
Before the day dawns, the “day star” (or morning star) shines brightly as the herald of the dawn. To the church, Jesus Christ is “the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelations 22:16). The promise of His coming shines brightly, no matter how dark the day may be (see Numbers 24:17). He is also the “Sun of Righteousness,” who will bring healing to believers but judgment to unbelievers (Malachi 4:1–2). How thankful we ought to be for God’s sure and shining Word, and how we ought to heed it in these dark days!
Prayer:-
V Pray for the Chaplains in your local schools regarding the ‘battle’ with new government regulations.
V Pray that they have more and more opportunities to reach out to the students and staff.
The world is getting both better and worse! Huh? It’s getting better in terms of our understanding of things, our ability to fix things and our ability to make things better, faster or smaller - just for example. As a child a heart transplant was unheard of and largely unthinkable. Now it happens with common regularity! We can travel across the globe with unheard of speed. We can see to the far reaches of the universe. But at the same time it’s getting worse. As technology grows and expands our sins seem to grow with it. We can kill more people now with less effort than ever before. We can spy on people's privacy more easily. We can access any number of sinful things (from porn to bomb making to magical incantations) on the web. And to top it all off, there are many many people (many from inside the church) trying to nullify the Word and to prove it wrong. There is a growing desire to eradicate the Word.
But praise the Lord, it is in this dark world that the Word of God shines ever more brightly. We are assured by God that this word is a sure word. “The testimony of the Lord is sure” (Psalms 19:7). “Thy testimonies are very sure” (Psalms 93:5). “All His commandments are sure” (Psalms 111:7). “Therefore I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalms 119:128).
It is also a shining Word. God is light and His Word is light. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105). When Jesus Christ began His ministry, “the people who sat in darkness saw a great light” (Matthew 4:16). His coming into this world was the dawning of a new day (Luke 1:78). We Christians are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14–16), and it is our privilege and responsibility to hold forth the Word of life - God’s light\ - so that men might see the way and be saved (Philippians 2:14–16).
No wonder God says that we ‘will do well to pay attention to it!’. As believers, we must heed this Word and govern our lives by what it says. For unbelievers, things will get darker and darker, until they end up in eternal darkness; but God’s people are looking for the return of Jesus Christ and the dawning of the new day of glory. The false teachers scoffed at the idea of Christ’s return and the dawning of a new day, but Peter affirmed the truth of the sure Word of God. “But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night” (2 Peter 3:10).
Before the day dawns, the “day star” (or morning star) shines brightly as the herald of the dawn. To the church, Jesus Christ is “the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelations 22:16). The promise of His coming shines brightly, no matter how dark the day may be (see Numbers 24:17). He is also the “Sun of Righteousness,” who will bring healing to believers but judgment to unbelievers (Malachi 4:1–2). How thankful we ought to be for God’s sure and shining Word, and how we ought to heed it in these dark days!
Prayer:-
V Pray for the Chaplains in your local schools regarding the ‘battle’ with new government regulations.
V Pray that they have more and more opportunities to reach out to the students and staff.
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Tuesday June 14, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:16-18; Matthew 17:1-9; Psalm 2
Our Bibles are a first hand, eye witness account of what happened to Jesus. In any court or historical research department that is of great value. But, as we saw yesterday, the Bible is more than a historical document. It is revealed to us that the disciples were eyewitnesses to His Majesty. They were with Jesus on the sacred mountain and they saw the heavens open up. They heard God declare that This ‘man’ who was with them was His Son.
As non-Jews, we can lose the majesty of that statement. This is the beloved Son of God. This Jesus is the anointed one, the Messiah. This Jesus is the one that God would give the nations to, the one before whom all nations would bow, the one who would rule for eternity with an iron sceptre. The disciples were told by none other than God Himself that Jesus is the promised Messiah and they have written it down for us.
In fact, the entire Bible is written to point us to Jesus. He Himself stated that these are the Scriptures (see John 5:39, in context the Old Testament) that testify about Him.
If we want to know Jesus and if we want to be intimate with Him then we have to be reading our Bible. We cannot know Jesus without our Bibles open. Nature and the created order will of course show us something of our God (see Romans 1:20) but it will generally lead us to a knowledge that we are without excuse before God. The Bible opens up for us the majesty of Christ, the grace He has given us, the assurance of forgiveness and the eternity we have with Him when we put our faith in Him.
If we are to win the victory over sin and bad habits then we must have our head and heart in the Bible regularly. We need to be reading it, not like we read other books, but with the anticipation that God will meet us and speak to us personally. We need to read the Bible with the awe and reverence that a conversation with God deserves.
Take time right now to think about how you can re-jiggle your day to allow yourself time to sit with God and to listen to Him speak to you from His word. What can you change so that time with God becomes a non-negotiable item in your daily diary?
Prayer:-
V Praise God for leaders on 3 campuses.
V Pray for those who are coming to the Mid-Year Conference in June in Qld.
V Pray for the provision of $90,000 over the next 3 years to fund our efforts in launching Student Life in Perth.
Our Bibles are a first hand, eye witness account of what happened to Jesus. In any court or historical research department that is of great value. But, as we saw yesterday, the Bible is more than a historical document. It is revealed to us that the disciples were eyewitnesses to His Majesty. They were with Jesus on the sacred mountain and they saw the heavens open up. They heard God declare that This ‘man’ who was with them was His Son.
As non-Jews, we can lose the majesty of that statement. This is the beloved Son of God. This Jesus is the anointed one, the Messiah. This Jesus is the one that God would give the nations to, the one before whom all nations would bow, the one who would rule for eternity with an iron sceptre. The disciples were told by none other than God Himself that Jesus is the promised Messiah and they have written it down for us.
In fact, the entire Bible is written to point us to Jesus. He Himself stated that these are the Scriptures (see John 5:39, in context the Old Testament) that testify about Him.
If we want to know Jesus and if we want to be intimate with Him then we have to be reading our Bible. We cannot know Jesus without our Bibles open. Nature and the created order will of course show us something of our God (see Romans 1:20) but it will generally lead us to a knowledge that we are without excuse before God. The Bible opens up for us the majesty of Christ, the grace He has given us, the assurance of forgiveness and the eternity we have with Him when we put our faith in Him.
If we are to win the victory over sin and bad habits then we must have our head and heart in the Bible regularly. We need to be reading it, not like we read other books, but with the anticipation that God will meet us and speak to us personally. We need to read the Bible with the awe and reverence that a conversation with God deserves.
Take time right now to think about how you can re-jiggle your day to allow yourself time to sit with God and to listen to Him speak to you from His word. What can you change so that time with God becomes a non-negotiable item in your daily diary?
Prayer:-
V Praise God for leaders on 3 campuses.
V Pray for those who are coming to the Mid-Year Conference in June in Qld.
V Pray for the provision of $90,000 over the next 3 years to fund our efforts in launching Student Life in Perth.
Monday, 13 June 2011
Monday June 13, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:15; Exodus 24
It amazes me that many people who “poo poo” the Bible have never actually read it in any meaningful or serious way! Many people think of the Bible as a group of nice stories. Some even accept Jesus as a literal man that existed in the Middle East about 2,000 years ago. He was that guy who taught good morals and said some pretty profound things. Yet others think that it’s all a made-up pile of stories, legends and myths. One “serious” PhD scholar tried to convince me that the miracle of Jesus walking on the water was really Jesus walking along the wharf. Since the disciples were far away in the boat and because it was hot (as it is in the Middle East) they saw a mirage and thought Jesus was walking on water. Hmmm? How serious is that? Others have argued until they’re blue in the face that Jesus wasn’t really dead in the tomb. He was unconscious and the cool of the tomb helped resuscitate Him.
I wonder what your true attitude to the Bible is. Take a moment to finish this sentence… I think the Word of God is….
What is the Word of God to you? Is it the infallible and true Word that God has spoken to you? Is it the majestic voice of your Saviour telling you all that you need for life and godliness? Or is it just like any other book? Is it just like the newspaper you read or the novels you borrow from the library? Granted that the physical book we carry around is simply a book, with ink words printed on normal, every day paper.
When you open the Bible, do you hear the voice of God Almighty? Do you feel the inspiration and the moving of the Holy Spirit as you read? Do you sense the presence of greatness as the words sink deep into your soul?
Every time I open my Bible I seek to get a measure of the enormity of what’s happening - the Creator God of the entire universe is stooping down to talk to me personally. WOW!
Peter assures us that the apostles did not follow clever little stories that were made-up. What they wrote for us and what they preached were the very things that they were eyewitnesses to. The New Testament, the Word of God, is written for us by men who were there with Jesus, by men who ate and drank with Him. We have a first hand historical document that is of immense value but hopefully by the end of the week you’ll see that it’s far more than just an historical document.
Prayer:-
V Pray for God to raise up new leaders at Student Life at USQ.
V Pray for students to be reaching their friends with the gospel.
V Pray for Student Life's initiative with launching movements in Perth this year.
It amazes me that many people who “poo poo” the Bible have never actually read it in any meaningful or serious way! Many people think of the Bible as a group of nice stories. Some even accept Jesus as a literal man that existed in the Middle East about 2,000 years ago. He was that guy who taught good morals and said some pretty profound things. Yet others think that it’s all a made-up pile of stories, legends and myths. One “serious” PhD scholar tried to convince me that the miracle of Jesus walking on the water was really Jesus walking along the wharf. Since the disciples were far away in the boat and because it was hot (as it is in the Middle East) they saw a mirage and thought Jesus was walking on water. Hmmm? How serious is that? Others have argued until they’re blue in the face that Jesus wasn’t really dead in the tomb. He was unconscious and the cool of the tomb helped resuscitate Him.
I wonder what your true attitude to the Bible is. Take a moment to finish this sentence… I think the Word of God is….
What is the Word of God to you? Is it the infallible and true Word that God has spoken to you? Is it the majestic voice of your Saviour telling you all that you need for life and godliness? Or is it just like any other book? Is it just like the newspaper you read or the novels you borrow from the library? Granted that the physical book we carry around is simply a book, with ink words printed on normal, every day paper.
When you open the Bible, do you hear the voice of God Almighty? Do you feel the inspiration and the moving of the Holy Spirit as you read? Do you sense the presence of greatness as the words sink deep into your soul?
Every time I open my Bible I seek to get a measure of the enormity of what’s happening - the Creator God of the entire universe is stooping down to talk to me personally. WOW!
Peter assures us that the apostles did not follow clever little stories that were made-up. What they wrote for us and what they preached were the very things that they were eyewitnesses to. The New Testament, the Word of God, is written for us by men who were there with Jesus, by men who ate and drank with Him. We have a first hand historical document that is of immense value but hopefully by the end of the week you’ll see that it’s far more than just an historical document.
Prayer:-
V Pray for God to raise up new leaders at Student Life at USQ.
V Pray for students to be reaching their friends with the gospel.
V Pray for Student Life's initiative with launching movements in Perth this year.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Saturday June 11, 2011
Read 2 Peter 1:12-15; Ephesians 2:8-10
It appears that Peter was not writing to babes in Christ. They knew these truths and were firmly established in them. They were maturing Christians serious about their faith. And yet Peter wants to remind them - note the key word - ALWAYS.
To understand why God uses the word ALWAYS, think about being in a cage fighting match with your worst enemy. During that fight you cannot take your eye or mind off the battle because the enemy will throw punches and kicks at you at every opportunity. As soon as you look away, you’ll get a fist full of knuckles. Satan is no different. As soon as we look away, as soon as we think we have an issue licked, as soon as we start patting ourselves on the back, satan will attack us. He will use anything or anyone to destroy our faith, to lead us off track and to sabotage our witness for Christ. Satan cannot hurt your salvation but he can stop or deter you from sharing with others and from doing the work that God has created in advance for you to do.
Peter takes another opportunity to remind his readers of the truths of the gospel, even thought they know them and are firmly established in them. The stronger you are in Christ, the more of a target you will be. You too need (as I do) constant reminders of these things.
Wouldn’t it be just absolutely awesome if we belonged to a church where believers reminded each other in these things and spurred each other onto Godly and wholesome thoughts at every opportunity. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we all had a confidant with whom we could share our thoughts and feelings without feeling condemned and knowing that we won’t be betrayed! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know that our brothers and sisters will keep us accountable in all areas, even our thought life! We do have such a church! It only takes one person to make the difference. Who is that person? YOU.
Prayer:-
V Pray that with the recent natural disasters that have happened around the world that people will look to God to help them through their pain and lose.
V Pray that we will all be more aware of how fragile life is and how important it is to turn to God, not only in times of need but in times of joy.
It appears that Peter was not writing to babes in Christ. They knew these truths and were firmly established in them. They were maturing Christians serious about their faith. And yet Peter wants to remind them - note the key word - ALWAYS.
To understand why God uses the word ALWAYS, think about being in a cage fighting match with your worst enemy. During that fight you cannot take your eye or mind off the battle because the enemy will throw punches and kicks at you at every opportunity. As soon as you look away, you’ll get a fist full of knuckles. Satan is no different. As soon as we look away, as soon as we think we have an issue licked, as soon as we start patting ourselves on the back, satan will attack us. He will use anything or anyone to destroy our faith, to lead us off track and to sabotage our witness for Christ. Satan cannot hurt your salvation but he can stop or deter you from sharing with others and from doing the work that God has created in advance for you to do.
Peter takes another opportunity to remind his readers of the truths of the gospel, even thought they know them and are firmly established in them. The stronger you are in Christ, the more of a target you will be. You too need (as I do) constant reminders of these things.
Wouldn’t it be just absolutely awesome if we belonged to a church where believers reminded each other in these things and spurred each other onto Godly and wholesome thoughts at every opportunity. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we all had a confidant with whom we could share our thoughts and feelings without feeling condemned and knowing that we won’t be betrayed! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know that our brothers and sisters will keep us accountable in all areas, even our thought life! We do have such a church! It only takes one person to make the difference. Who is that person? YOU.
Prayer:-
V Pray that with the recent natural disasters that have happened around the world that people will look to God to help them through their pain and lose.
V Pray that we will all be more aware of how fragile life is and how important it is to turn to God, not only in times of need but in times of joy.
Friday, 10 June 2011
Friday June 10, 2011
Read Philippians 3:10-21; 1 John 2:15-17
There were two camps of people. Those who lived according to the pattern that Paul encouraged which was probably in line with Romans 12:1-4 and those who lived according to the pattern of this world – which is a world of self—self indulgence, self protection, self promotion and so on.
Paul sums up the key issue when he says in vs 19b, ‘Their mind is on earthly things. When the Scripture talks about earthly things or the world in a negative sense it’s not talking about trees and creation and such. It’s talking about the cravings of sinful man, the lusts of his eyes and the boastings of what he has and does (1 John 2:15-17). Some people set their mind on such earthly things. They continually think about or worry about where their next drink will come from, who’ll they date over the next weekend, what sporting match they’ll go to next time and so on.
But as believers in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ we are not to set our minds on such things. We are to set our eyes, our minds (Colossians 3:1-4) on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father. We are to focus on the love of Christ, the goodness of God towards us and the grace/mercy we have received from Him. We are to fill our mind with Jesus things, with God pleasing things rather than with fantasies, lusts, covetings, revenge, unforgiveness etc.
What have you set your mind on? What captures your thoughts day by day? What issues or fantasies repeatedly run through your head? Are they earthly things or heavenly things? Are they God pleasing things or self pleasing things? Would you be embarrassed if another believer could read your thoughts?
In Christ Jesus you have everything you need to be victorious both outward and inward. You have been given a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline (2 Timothy 1:7) so that you can be outwardly victorious. Also you have been filled with the Holy Spirit so that you can be inwardly victorious.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the new believers in Christ, that they will be encouraged and supported to grow emotionally and spiritually in their new found faith.
V Pray for those people you know are yet to make a commitment to Christ that God will reveal His desire to have a personal relationship with them.
There were two camps of people. Those who lived according to the pattern that Paul encouraged which was probably in line with Romans 12:1-4 and those who lived according to the pattern of this world – which is a world of self—self indulgence, self protection, self promotion and so on.
Paul sums up the key issue when he says in vs 19b, ‘Their mind is on earthly things. When the Scripture talks about earthly things or the world in a negative sense it’s not talking about trees and creation and such. It’s talking about the cravings of sinful man, the lusts of his eyes and the boastings of what he has and does (1 John 2:15-17). Some people set their mind on such earthly things. They continually think about or worry about where their next drink will come from, who’ll they date over the next weekend, what sporting match they’ll go to next time and so on.
But as believers in the glorious Lord Jesus Christ we are not to set our minds on such things. We are to set our eyes, our minds (Colossians 3:1-4) on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father. We are to focus on the love of Christ, the goodness of God towards us and the grace/mercy we have received from Him. We are to fill our mind with Jesus things, with God pleasing things rather than with fantasies, lusts, covetings, revenge, unforgiveness etc.
What have you set your mind on? What captures your thoughts day by day? What issues or fantasies repeatedly run through your head? Are they earthly things or heavenly things? Are they God pleasing things or self pleasing things? Would you be embarrassed if another believer could read your thoughts?
In Christ Jesus you have everything you need to be victorious both outward and inward. You have been given a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline (2 Timothy 1:7) so that you can be outwardly victorious. Also you have been filled with the Holy Spirit so that you can be inwardly victorious.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the new believers in Christ, that they will be encouraged and supported to grow emotionally and spiritually in their new found faith.
V Pray for those people you know are yet to make a commitment to Christ that God will reveal His desire to have a personal relationship with them.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Thursday June 9, 2011
Read Romans 12:1-3; Deuteronomy 8
Picture 2 married couples. Both go through the exact experience (as close as practically possible). Both husbands come home after a particularly hard day. All they want to do is relax, have a coffee and take it easy. As they walk in the door both are greeted by their respective wives. Both are in tears and fall in a heap. Both ask the husband to run down the shop, pick up a few things and to make some dinner because she’s had a harrowing day. The first husband grumbles and slams the door, revs the car exceedingly loudly and screeches down the street. The other husband cuddles his wife, gives her a kiss and goes off to the shops to buy the few things and a bunch of flowers!
Why do we have such distinctly different reactions from the two men? It could be their personalities. It could be the make up of the wives. It could be the way that each tends to react. But let me suggest that it’s more than likely the way that they were thinking at the time they got home. Both were looking forward to a break at home. Both were tired. But I would suggest that one selfishly hoarded thoughts of himself and put himself and his needs at the centre of the universe. When those needs were not met, the volcano erupted and spewed out on everyone. James 4:1-4 spells it out for us in detail if you want to have a look.
The other guy had the same desires and needs but thought about it differently. The lesson is obvious isn’t it? You can choose to think about things in positive ways or negative ways. You can choose how you assess and see each situation you are in.
God is telling us in Romans 12:1-3 to change the way that we think about the things of this world. He’s crying out to us to be renewed and changed by renewing our minds in Christ. What that entails is everything we’ve looked at this week but it goes a step further.
The foundation of renewing our minds in Christ starts with God’s mercy. The word ‘therefore’ in vs1 is a link to all that’s been said in chapters 1-11, which are all about God’s mercy to us. Because I have God’s mercy I am to be a living sacrifice to the Lord. I am to offer my body to the Lord in service each moment of each day. Throwing a hissy fit, slamming doors and screeching down the road are not loving sacrifice but self-centred determinism. It really is no different to a 3 year old lying on the supermarket floor throwing a huge tantrum. Adult tantrums are just more refined!
God is calling me to change the way that I see the world, the way that I assess the world and what’s happening around me and even the way that I interact with the world and the people around me. I need to change the way that I think about the world and the events around me. The guy who threw the hissy fit was probably thinking something like, ‘This is so unfair. That woman can’t do anything right. I work hard all day to support her.. I ... I ... I’. It’s all about me. That’s the way of the world that we need to be changed from. Jesus’ way is other centred. Jesus’ way is sacrificial and loving. Jesus’ way is the way of the cross not the crown but the crown will come. Be assured.
So how do I change or renew my mind? Here are some steps to help you.
1. Commit to spending time in the Word of God daily. Unless you know what to change and what to change to, you’ll never make any progress. Search the Scriptures to find the type of person God wants you to be and the type of things He wants you to fill your mind with.
2. Pray daily that God will change you. But remember this. If you pray that God would make you a servant, He won’t necessarily snap His fingers and make you servant hearted, He’ll give you opportunities to serve others!
3. Confess quickly the times that you have fallen into the ways of the world. Confess and ask God to purify you from this unrighteousness.
4. Set aside time to analyse sinful or wrong reactions in the past. What went wrong? Where was your thinking wrong? What made you blow up? How could you have seen it differently? How could you have acted differently? By thinking through the past, you are laying the foundation for the future.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the men’s ministry that they will be able to reach out to the men in the local community and that they will be able to encourage and support each other through the challenges facing them in day to day life.
Picture 2 married couples. Both go through the exact experience (as close as practically possible). Both husbands come home after a particularly hard day. All they want to do is relax, have a coffee and take it easy. As they walk in the door both are greeted by their respective wives. Both are in tears and fall in a heap. Both ask the husband to run down the shop, pick up a few things and to make some dinner because she’s had a harrowing day. The first husband grumbles and slams the door, revs the car exceedingly loudly and screeches down the street. The other husband cuddles his wife, gives her a kiss and goes off to the shops to buy the few things and a bunch of flowers!
Why do we have such distinctly different reactions from the two men? It could be their personalities. It could be the make up of the wives. It could be the way that each tends to react. But let me suggest that it’s more than likely the way that they were thinking at the time they got home. Both were looking forward to a break at home. Both were tired. But I would suggest that one selfishly hoarded thoughts of himself and put himself and his needs at the centre of the universe. When those needs were not met, the volcano erupted and spewed out on everyone. James 4:1-4 spells it out for us in detail if you want to have a look.
The other guy had the same desires and needs but thought about it differently. The lesson is obvious isn’t it? You can choose to think about things in positive ways or negative ways. You can choose how you assess and see each situation you are in.
God is telling us in Romans 12:1-3 to change the way that we think about the things of this world. He’s crying out to us to be renewed and changed by renewing our minds in Christ. What that entails is everything we’ve looked at this week but it goes a step further.
The foundation of renewing our minds in Christ starts with God’s mercy. The word ‘therefore’ in vs1 is a link to all that’s been said in chapters 1-11, which are all about God’s mercy to us. Because I have God’s mercy I am to be a living sacrifice to the Lord. I am to offer my body to the Lord in service each moment of each day. Throwing a hissy fit, slamming doors and screeching down the road are not loving sacrifice but self-centred determinism. It really is no different to a 3 year old lying on the supermarket floor throwing a huge tantrum. Adult tantrums are just more refined!
God is calling me to change the way that I see the world, the way that I assess the world and what’s happening around me and even the way that I interact with the world and the people around me. I need to change the way that I think about the world and the events around me. The guy who threw the hissy fit was probably thinking something like, ‘This is so unfair. That woman can’t do anything right. I work hard all day to support her.. I ... I ... I’. It’s all about me. That’s the way of the world that we need to be changed from. Jesus’ way is other centred. Jesus’ way is sacrificial and loving. Jesus’ way is the way of the cross not the crown but the crown will come. Be assured.
So how do I change or renew my mind? Here are some steps to help you.
1. Commit to spending time in the Word of God daily. Unless you know what to change and what to change to, you’ll never make any progress. Search the Scriptures to find the type of person God wants you to be and the type of things He wants you to fill your mind with.
2. Pray daily that God will change you. But remember this. If you pray that God would make you a servant, He won’t necessarily snap His fingers and make you servant hearted, He’ll give you opportunities to serve others!
3. Confess quickly the times that you have fallen into the ways of the world. Confess and ask God to purify you from this unrighteousness.
4. Set aside time to analyse sinful or wrong reactions in the past. What went wrong? Where was your thinking wrong? What made you blow up? How could you have seen it differently? How could you have acted differently? By thinking through the past, you are laying the foundation for the future.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the men’s ministry that they will be able to reach out to the men in the local community and that they will be able to encourage and support each other through the challenges facing them in day to day life.
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