Snow Day
Michigan weather is fickle, today it's snowing and with thunderstorms. So I've been catching up on the great post's in the blogisphere. I have added a few of my favorites, with more to come. There are really sharp minds and wity comments out there. I would love to be able to transfer the things in my mind to them, to see what they would have to say. Maybe a Volcan mind meld or something.
But, then I got to thinking. Isn't that what God is trying to do with his church. Replace our faulty thinking for his infinite understanding. That it seems, is the goal of the writing of the new testament. This is no easy task, instead of the mind meld, we have the Holy Spirit. The word we can read and reason out the validity of these statements in part. Everyone though at some point has to throw up his hands and ask, what is he talking about.
I suppose it depends on the mental capability to some extent. It may also be hindered by experience. I remember one time after reading; Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, etc. , think on these things. Phil 4:8. I sat there for twenty minutes and couldn't think of one thing. Now this passage is not hard to understand, but at that time I couldn't relate to it at all. I had no idea what to think that fit in any of these categories. It takes more than the reading to come to realization.
This and other reasons is why the Spirit is so nessasary. He has the ability to not just inform, but to transform. The mental assent, or lack thereof, is not the same as the impartation of truth into our lives. If it was we could just read till we get it, as it stands, it may be the parts that we think we do understand are wrong, and the domino effect gives us ever increasing error.
Back to our helper the Holy Spirit. I am sure he speaks english, but it doesn't appear to be his main tool for helping us out of darkness. He works by the spirit of man, that is the natural order of things. Spirit to spirit. This puts our exalted intellect on hold, subservient to the spirit of man. The revelation of truths are first realized in our spirit, and then we confirm that truth to our mind. In other words, we tell our minds what to think, and not the mind telling us what to think.
We first know on the inside, the spirit, of any truths. Back to the sad state of my mind. I had put this question to the Lord; what are you talking about? I don't see any good, nobel, pure, right, or lovely things. This was the truth as I saw it.
Somewhere deep inside me, weeks or months later, I'm not sure when. I gained understanding and illumination. It was my thought process itself that was wrong. To think the thoughts of God was to view circumstances in a different way. Where I was seeing ugly in the present, God was seeing purity in future. Where I would see dispare, God was seeing good posibility's. My view was from the earth and temporal, His view is eternal and from the heavens.
So I cast aside all the discontent, all the disapointment, all the disbelief, all the dispair, I dis'ed the dis's. I start looking through the eyes of faith at the posibilities, and I saw the good that God wanted for these circumstances, and for the people. This is the road to travel.
Look at Jesus, the people who came to him saw sickness, he saw healing. Anyone who tells you God uses sickness, has never seen Jesus. They were thinking death, Jesus saw life; ask the disciples. Lord carest thou not that we perish? When all they could see was the waves, Jesus saw the work yet to be done, and repuked the storm, and the disciples for there lack of faith.
Jairus with the girl unto death; then the report she was dead. Did it change what Jesus saw, he already said he would heal her. Did death make any difference, it's not over until God says it over, and Jesus raised her from the dead.
What about those bound by the devil, the lunatic, the possesed, the tormented, he set them all free. Jesus never let the devil stop the redeeming of man, or the love of God. What of the blind, the lame, the halt, and the deaf? He was the power of God to heal them all. This is the way to think the thoughts of God after Him. Here is where it has it finest hour, this mind of God. Jesus hung on a cross and became sin, to redeem man by life from the grave; because in the thinking of God it was honorable, and noble, pure and lovely. Thank you Lord, for saving my soul.
But, then I got to thinking. Isn't that what God is trying to do with his church. Replace our faulty thinking for his infinite understanding. That it seems, is the goal of the writing of the new testament. This is no easy task, instead of the mind meld, we have the Holy Spirit. The word we can read and reason out the validity of these statements in part. Everyone though at some point has to throw up his hands and ask, what is he talking about.
I suppose it depends on the mental capability to some extent. It may also be hindered by experience. I remember one time after reading; Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, etc. , think on these things. Phil 4:8. I sat there for twenty minutes and couldn't think of one thing. Now this passage is not hard to understand, but at that time I couldn't relate to it at all. I had no idea what to think that fit in any of these categories. It takes more than the reading to come to realization.
This and other reasons is why the Spirit is so nessasary. He has the ability to not just inform, but to transform. The mental assent, or lack thereof, is not the same as the impartation of truth into our lives. If it was we could just read till we get it, as it stands, it may be the parts that we think we do understand are wrong, and the domino effect gives us ever increasing error.
Back to our helper the Holy Spirit. I am sure he speaks english, but it doesn't appear to be his main tool for helping us out of darkness. He works by the spirit of man, that is the natural order of things. Spirit to spirit. This puts our exalted intellect on hold, subservient to the spirit of man. The revelation of truths are first realized in our spirit, and then we confirm that truth to our mind. In other words, we tell our minds what to think, and not the mind telling us what to think.
We first know on the inside, the spirit, of any truths. Back to the sad state of my mind. I had put this question to the Lord; what are you talking about? I don't see any good, nobel, pure, right, or lovely things. This was the truth as I saw it.
Somewhere deep inside me, weeks or months later, I'm not sure when. I gained understanding and illumination. It was my thought process itself that was wrong. To think the thoughts of God was to view circumstances in a different way. Where I was seeing ugly in the present, God was seeing purity in future. Where I would see dispare, God was seeing good posibility's. My view was from the earth and temporal, His view is eternal and from the heavens.
So I cast aside all the discontent, all the disapointment, all the disbelief, all the dispair, I dis'ed the dis's. I start looking through the eyes of faith at the posibilities, and I saw the good that God wanted for these circumstances, and for the people. This is the road to travel.
Look at Jesus, the people who came to him saw sickness, he saw healing. Anyone who tells you God uses sickness, has never seen Jesus. They were thinking death, Jesus saw life; ask the disciples. Lord carest thou not that we perish? When all they could see was the waves, Jesus saw the work yet to be done, and repuked the storm, and the disciples for there lack of faith.
Jairus with the girl unto death; then the report she was dead. Did it change what Jesus saw, he already said he would heal her. Did death make any difference, it's not over until God says it over, and Jesus raised her from the dead.
What about those bound by the devil, the lunatic, the possesed, the tormented, he set them all free. Jesus never let the devil stop the redeeming of man, or the love of God. What of the blind, the lame, the halt, and the deaf? He was the power of God to heal them all. This is the way to think the thoughts of God after Him. Here is where it has it finest hour, this mind of God. Jesus hung on a cross and became sin, to redeem man by life from the grave; because in the thinking of God it was honorable, and noble, pure and lovely. Thank you Lord, for saving my soul.
posted by pete porter | 7:11 PM
2 Comments:
My wife was born in Detroit and tells me of the great winters there. She attended high school in West Palm Beach, Fla. She thinks she had the best of two worlds.
I invite you to visit my blog and to study the Bible with me.
Terry Finley
http://clearcutbiblestudies.blogspot.com/
Terry,
Thanks for the hand of fellowship, I will look at your site from time to time. Looks interesting. I once had a pastor tell me; if I could prove him wrong according to scripture, he would not change his doctrine! I trust your mind to be a little more open.
Pete
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