By: Carole Lynne Haines
I sit and watch the sunrise almost every morning. With the rising of the sun comes new hope. God brings forth hope each day as He paints the sky in front of me. My mind is filled with concerns this morning and I am trying to “cast my care upon the Lord because He cares for me.” But I am finding it hard to keep the worrisome thoughts from coming back into my mind. It can be exhausting to try to cast my cares. Jesus has been teaching me just how must His transformation promise is about yielding, surrendering and knowing who He is. He is able, even when I just can’t seem to find the strength to cast these cares. He is able to take them from me and renew my mind through surrender and yielding.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
(Philippians 2:5-8 NASB 1995)
I find it interesting that this verse starts with the word, ‘Let.” Letting means to give the use of something to someone else. It has to be something that is already yours. It means to allow something to take place; or to permit something to happen. It is giving your consent freely, sometimes without full knowledge of the consequences, be they good or bad.
But as the word is used in this verse, it’s almost as if something is already trying to happen, and whether by choice or by force, we are hindering it. So, are we somehow hindering the mind of Christ from growing and maturing us?
God’s Word tells us that we have been given everything we need to lead a godly life (2 Peter 1:3 NIV). That is so encouraging, isn’t it? His Word also tells us that we have been given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). How fantastic to be able to learn to think like Jesus. Yet how are we to participate in this transformation process?
Again, we turn to His Word which says we can do this by renewing our mind, and by taking every thought captive to obey Christ. (Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB)
A great portion of what we need in our growing in Christ is knowing what His part is to do, and knowing what ours is. What is on Christ’s to do list, and what is on ours? He has given us all we need, but we need to practice it, to use it, to walk in out in our daily lives. What’s the saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it!”
We can watch all the training classes we want about running a 4K race, but it’s not until we get out there and actually start putting into practice what we have learned every single day, that we will begin to see results. The Apostle James puts it this way:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4 NASB)
Let it happen! Let it come forth in us. Persevere in the right thing and let it finish its work. Let us decrease so that Christ will increase more and more in all we say and do. Just let it! Sometimes “let” means to leave something alone. But in these verses, it means to “allow” something to occur. The question to ask ourselves in these cases is, “How are we hindering or disallowing the maturity of our spirit, soul, and mind on this journey with Christ? What are we doing that is inhibiting its growth? What do we need to do to stimulate it. We will explore these answers in the coming weeks.
For now, sit with these realities and questions.
*We have been given the mind of Christ, but how are we hindering its rule in us?
*We have been given everything we need to live a godly life; yet what can we do to stir ourselves and each other up in faith as we walk with one another?
Please leave your comments and questions for further consideration as we explore this teaching together. Have a Blessed day.
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