Renewal of the Mind - New Series Part V

"And ye shall receive the GIFT of the Holy Spirit." "For whom He did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son"  "That I may know Him...the priceless privilege of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord."

The gift of the Holy Spirit. 

How many of us have truly "unpack" the gift of this Precious Person dwelling in our hearts?  Why is He in us, why did He come, and what is His ministry to us, for us, and in us?

1)            He is the promise of course, of the Father who sent Him after His Son's perfect and complete sacrifice for our sins AND plan of the Father to make a new creation in His Son, Jesus Christ.

2)            He is in us, because we believed the Gospel and placed faith in His Son - God's Spirit regenerated us and made us alive in Christ - then sealed us until the day, when we receive the full package of our inheritance.

3)            His ministry is so glorious.  His ministry is to lead and guide us into ALL truth - to sort and sift Truth of His Word, until we spiritually understand and with wisdom apply, it to our lives.  He is the Strengthener of our spirit man - He illumines our minds with understanding of God's Word concerning His Son, concerning the future glory, concerning all things.  He is the Comforter in all our trials and tribulations.  His mind is life and peace.  He reveals the things FREELY given to us in Christ Jesus.  He works in us both to will and to do of God's good pleasure.   Let us not be afraid of Him.

Being conformed to the Image of Jesus Christ. 

1)  We have been born of incorruptible SEED (Jesus Christ now dwelling in our hearts).  It is God's will that we grow in grace and in the knowledge of God's Son.  We are called to a life of faith in Him - continual trusting God to grow us, empower us, straightening out our minds and hearts and walks.  Included in being conformed to the image of God's Son is the way we think, our thoughts, our walking in sync with God's Holy Spirit day by day by His Word, bearing fruit of God's Spirit.

That I may know Him - the priceless privilege of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. 

1)  Paul the Apostle penned those words in Philippians 3.  The phrase, "the priceless privilege of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord," is taken from the Amplified Version which I love.  I don't think Paul wrote that portion as an apostle per se, but as a saint, a son who loved the Savior dearly and knew Him and wanted to continue to know Him - more than anything.  For previously, He said that he counted all things dung in exchange for knowing Him and having the excellency of the knowledge of Him.

We have been given a priceless gift, a priceless privilege.  God is so for us to be able to understand and apply the RICHES of God's Son, Christ Jesus.  He is not trying to keep it a secret from anyone.  He always does His will.  But as I see it in Scripture, there are those who made a determined purpose to have the things of God totally a part of them and in their walk on this planet.   Let us not be afraid of Christ.

The renewal of the mind is the hub of a transformed life.  For if I can't think straight, according to the mind of the Spirit, I won't walk straight. 

We are to be filled (absolutely dependent) on God's Holy Spirit every single day of our lives.  We really are to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6), and trust God to show us how to live each day of our lives.  We also are to be dependent on God's Spirit to spiritually understand God's Word - there are too many "crazies" out there.  An honest and sincere heart before God's throne, is what He wants.

Children honestly and sincerely DEPEND on their parents.  We have Abba Father.  The Son of God depended on God the Father throughout his life on earth and in His ministry.  He focused on Him and trusted in His God.  He was a man, made a man by God, FILLED with the Holy Spirit of God to do His will, to think His thoughts, to walk out God's will daily.  And He now lives in us by God's Spirit.  Let us not be afraid of God, the Father.

We are now sons through faith - we have God as our Father through Jesus Christ - we are called to do the same.  We are called to take EVERY THOUGHT captive.  We begin renewal by examining our thought life - what is "rocking this jar?"  God has not called us to rock n' roll (little pun), but to be at peace in our minds, hearts and even our bodies, because of a mind at peace and rest, no matter what our circumstances.  We all have trials here and there - sometimes they are big, sometimes small.

But what a glorious privilege - to discover the Risen Christ living in our hearts and to learn HOW to walk in and through Him.  He will teach us.  I couldn't say this enough.  And this is the true goal.  We are not to scoff at each other for having this goal -for  it is a true goal according to God's glorious Gospel and Word.

Sue Gaither