I
was so confused when I read that we are to put on the mind of Christ (Romans
12:2) in one verse, and then that we already have the mind of Christ in a
second verse (1 Corinthians 2:16). They seemed to contradict one another.
The
truth about the mind of Christ is that Christ lives within us. Therefore, His
mind is already in us. Yet, if we ignore His presence in our life, and use our
carnal, human reasoning instead, we are not putting on the mind of Christ.
No
one can understand the mind of the Lord (Isaiah 40:13; 1 Corinthians 2:16). To
our human thinking, God's guidance in our life often seems to be useless,
redundant or not helpful at all (1 Corinthians 2:14). However, we soon see why
He gave us this advice in the first place.
If
we ignore the important information He gives to us, we eventually realize how
much we needed His words. If we obey the thoughts He puts into our mind, we succeed
because we are filled with His values and directed by His desires rather than
our own (1 Corinthians 2:5-6).
With
His Spirit abiding within us (1 Corinthians 2:14), His character gradually
replaces our carnal nature (Galatians 5:22-23). His meekness, empathy (Matthew
9:36), wisdom, and His strict reliance on our Father God, is our model for our life
(1 Corinthians 2:7; Philippians 2:5-8).
Making
sure that we discern life through our spirit rather than through our flesh, we
access the mind of Christ within us all day long - living in His will and
ignoring our human understanding (1 Corinthians 2:15). We work toward God's
plan for us in the world.
Prayer:
Father God,
thank You that Jesus lived as an example for us in surviving in this world. His
whole life was centered on a desire to bring You glory, and to seek and to save
the lost (John 17:5; Luke 19:10). His constant communion with You, and His
strict obedience to Your precepts is a blessing for us to follow. Remind us to
come away with You to a quiet and lonely place to seek Your face and plans for
our day, just like Jesus did (Luke 5:16).
As we
commune each moment with You, You reveal to us the deep concepts of Your Word
and Your desires for our day. Thank You for giving us Your Spirit to replace
the spirit of the world that we used to follow (Romans 8:9), and for
enlightening us to the blessings You reserve just for Your children (1
Corinthians 2:10-12). We love You and give You all of our praise and glory.
Thought for
the Day:
As we stop
allowing our self to be conformed by the spirit of this world, we can change or
focus to the fact that we already have the mind of Christ, and we can allow the
Spirit within us to teach us "what is the good, acceptable and perfect
will of God".
- Romans
12:2
