Renewal of the Mind New Series - Part VIII

A genuine and complete renewing of our minds by God's Holy Spirit to the mind of the dear Christ we all love and believe does one thing:  cause great love to arise in our hearts and souls and a close walk with Jesus.

If all I end up being is as my beloved Gary says, "An encyclopedia of information about God," - that is dry, sterile, seemingly distant from God our Savior and Lord.

We are called to be "living epistles," - "living stones," and full of life of our Lord.  We are also called to the Great Love of God.  It is the great love of God as to why Jesus Christ came and died for sinners.

And Jesus Christ Himself said in John 17, "That the love wherewith YOU, Father loved me, may be in them, and I in them."

There's the Christian life right there.  "Oh what a love," is what the result of renewal of the mind in Christ should bring, can bring, and is definitely God's goal for us.

"To know the love of Christ that surpasses KNOWLEDGE..." Ephesians 3

We all truly do have facts we have accumulated of the Scriptures.  I've been in the Scriptures since a child - through Sunday School, GAs (I attended Baptist) - nothing wrong with that!  But here is an example of how God has taken those facts and turned them into tears of joy for me.

An example are the priestly garments that were made for the high priest in the Old Testament.   The linen ephod with the colors of gold, purple, blue and scarlet.  Then there were the onyx stones with the names graven  of the twelve tribes of Israel.  There was the breastplate of judgment with precious jewels, and the Urim and Thummin which was to make known the words of God and the true judgments of Him.

This is an understated paragraph of how intricately woven, how glorious this garment was for the high priest.  And as we all know, he went into the Most Holy Place once a year carrying those names - close to his heart as he presented Israel before the throne of God.

But oh to think that Jesus Christ is now the High Priest of heaven - as we are told in Hebrews the glories of God through the work of His Son - how that the true tabernacle now is in heaven - where Christ sits at the Right Hand of the Majesty on High.  We are told that this wonderful High Priest of Heaven represents us as His children, ever living to make intercession for us.

We are certainly graven on His Hands and close to His heart - for we are God's children - adopted into and by Him.

And now because of our High Priest, we can enter the Most Holy Place by His blood and Person and fellowship with God, who is our Father because of Him.

And God has given us the Urim and Thumin in the Person of the Holy Spirit - and through Him we have the ability to make wise judgments in our lives - especially between the flesh and spirit.

These are the types of things that touch my heart and renew my mind.  Especially when we realize more and more ALL who Christ, ALL that He has done, and again, this GREAT LOVE of God who dwells in the heart - shed abroad by the Holy Spirit in us. 

It surely does something to my heart to think that the HIGH PRIEST of heaven dwells in our hearts by the Spirit of God given to us, because of Jesus Christ's cross and resurrection.

And by tasting these precious truths, we could only want more and more and more.  Like any restaurant out there - you can eat where you want and hang out at that one restaurant all the days of your life, eating the same thing over and over again.

But our God has given us a FULL SPREAD - a huge Table to eat from and His Spirit awaits to feed us with more Words of Life  than we've ever yet known.   AND God awaits with sweet fellowship through Himself as Father, His Gracious Son - and the Holy Spirit of God.

May we listen, listen, listen, heed, heed, heed, and be blessed beyond measure at how the Spirit of God can truly illumine our minds by His Word to His great salvation in Jesus Christ.  "And Lord, make these words of truth and life become ours, become us, and take deep root within our hearts." 

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."

Here's to making 2015 the best yet in knowing Him,

Sue Gaither