Our older son and his family enjoy a large magnolia tree in their backyard. Every spring it explodes into a breath-taking mass of pink and white blossoms, each one at least six inches across.
Unfortunately the dazzling display doesn’t last long. The petals soon fall to the ground, and thick, dark leaves begin to take their place. But when summertime heat arrives the family is grateful for the cool shade of that dense foliage.
In autumn, as the leaves take their turn to fall, the flower buds for the next spring become more visible. Compared to those on other flowering trees or plants, these are already about two inches tall—even in October. To form them, magnolias take full advantage of the sun’s energy during the summer months (1).
All winter long, those buds proclaim silent promise of the divine flowers to come. And then in March or April, as the days have lengthened and warmed, the furry buds begin to split open, offering a glimpse of their tightly-spiraled petals—a precursor of the stunning transformation just days away.
Were we to celebrate the magnolia tree for those few days she’s dressed in her chiffon-pink finery, we’d miss out on the joy of her shady embrace in summer and those hope-filled buds through fall and winter.
There is beauty in the becoming—whether it’s magnolia trees or people.
If those magnificent buds were capable of emotion, they would no doubt look forward to the glorious reveal in spring. Thankfully, we humans can anticipate our desires being fulfilled. And as God’s children, one of those desires is spiritual maturity–the day when we’ll be wise and self-sacrificing, calm and patient, peaceful and contented–to name a few traits we aspire to.
But if we’re always focused on the future, we’ll miss the wonder of what God is doing now. The question becomes, what can we celebrate as God carries out his beautification process within us? Here are two categories of possibilities to get us started.
1. Celebrate the moments when the fruit of the Spirit are on display.
For example, over the last few days can you think of occasions when you:
- Spoke kind words or affirmation to others?
- Shared the gift of smiles and perhaps laughter?
- Held your tongue when tempted to argue?
Then you brought a bit of love, joy, and peace to others. Hurray for you!
2. Take note of the times when biblical truths guide your actions.
Again, review the last few days for such examples as these:
- You found your mind wandering into negativity, then made an about-face when you remembered your goal to focus on everything excellent (Philippians 4:8).
- You apologized for speaking harshly to someone, instead of pretending the offensive tone didn’t matter (Ephesians 4:2).
- A stunning feature of creation grabbed your attention, and your first thought was to worship God for his incredible handiwork (Psalm 92:4).
- The moment you recognized God’s protection, provision, or blessing, gratitude welled up in your spirit (Psalm 126:3).
Celebrate the growth of a renewed mind, humility, praise, and gratitude. You’ll be reinforcing the behaviors that contribute to your beautiful becoming.
“Growth, though silent as light
is one of the practical proofs of health.”
–Charles Swindoll (2)
Note Swindoll says growth is a proof of health—not perfection.
And when we honor God as the impetus behind the progress, we enliven our faith for the next steps of beautification he has in mind.
“Little by little
as God’s sanctifying grace works in us,
more territory of our lives becomes his.”
–Herbert Lockyer (3)
Right now we’re enduring the long winter of our development, but spring will come.
“He who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus.”
–Philippians 1:6 NIV
(emphasis added)
* * * * * * * * * *
I praise You, Almighty God, that as we grow in trust and surrender to you, we will become more like your Son, Jesus Christ. Day by day you are engineering experiences to that end. Thank you also we can enjoy the anticipation of that glorious day, when the beauty of becoming will finally be complete.
Notes:
- https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/ct-sun-0226-garden-morton-20170221-story.html
- The Quest for Character, Multnomah Press, 1987, p. 172.
- Seasons of the Lord, Harper & Row, 1990, p. 351.
Photo credits: http://www.pxfuel.com (2); http://www.pickpik.com; http://www.pikrepo.com; http://www.pixfuel.com; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.pixy.org; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.wikimedia.org; http://www.pikist.com.
The Mind of Christ
Posted in Bible Study, Blessings, Encouragement, Godly Character, Maturity, Meditation, Obedience, Uncategorized, tagged 1 Corinthians 2:16, 1 Corinthians 2:16 commentary, Bible Study, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 5:22-23, God's Creative Genius, Philippians 1:6, Romans 8:6, The mind of Christ on November 3, 2014| 10 Comments »
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?” Paul asked (1 Corinthians 2:16).
That’s an easy question to answer: Nobody! His intellect and wisdom are far beyond our human ability to comprehend.
After all…
God has worked out the complexities of every living cell–with perfect precision.
(X-ray microscopy combine to picture interior of living cell)
He has engineered a staggering number of specialized plants and creatures, carefully interrelated in a web of reliance upon one another.
He has created the unfathomable reaches of the universe filled with countless heavenly bodies of immeasurable proportions.
(Spiral Galaxy M74)
Such intellect and wisdom to accomplish these feats is incredible.
Yet, at the end of that same verse above, Paul makes a statement even more astounding. In fact, at first glance it seems ludicrous.
“We have the mind of Christ.”
What? How is that possible? His knowledge and wisdom are infinite; ours is markedly limited.
But Paul makes clear: we have the mind of Christ because he lives within us (Galatians 2:20).
Not that we can know everything and respond with pure wisdom in all situations. Our perfection is a process that won’t be completed until Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6).
But my heart beats a little bit faster to realize that, each day and for all my tomorrows, I might think more like Jesus, understand more like Jesus, and react more like Jesus.
One particular action will encourage progress: spending time with him, especially in his Word.
Here’s an analogy, though far from perfect. Steve and I have been married a very long time—forty-four years. At this point, we can finish each other’s sentences, supply missing information or words in a conversation, and sometimes even know what the other is thinking.
It’s as if we’ve acquired a bit of the other person’s mind. And it’s happened bit by bit, over time.
So I repeat: We will have the mind of Christ as we spend time with him day by day– especially in his Word.
And how will we know that his way of thinking is becoming our way of thinking? After all, there’s no measuring stick for spiritual growth.
Oswald Chambers, in My Utmost for His Highest, posed an excellent question that can help us determine our progress:
“Are other people beginning to see God in my life more and more (p. 78)?” Because a person with the mind of Christ will demonstrate Christ-like behavior.
Perhaps we could take an occasional inventory, based on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The attributes listed in these two verses characterize a person with the mind of Christ–someone who is loving, joyful, peace-filled, patient, kind, good, and so on. We could ask ourselves, how have I demonstrated these attributes this week?
And what will be the result of cultivating the mind of Christ? “The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6).
Life that is characterized by vitality and purpose.
Peace that includes inner-contentment, freedom from guilt, and security for eternity.
That sounds awfully good to me.
* * * * * * * * * *
Heavenly Father, we praise you for taking us into the high places of blessing in Jesus. That includes this gift: the mind of Christ. And day by day you are transforming us into his likeness, with ever-increasing glory. May I seize this day and its opportunities to think like you, understand like you, and react like you.
(Ephesians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 3:18)
Art and photo credits: www.lbl.gov; http://www.chesapeakebay.net; http://www.hubblesite.org; http://www.crosspointenwa.com; http://www.pinterest.com; http://www.changingthefaceof christianity.com; http://www.footsoldier4christ.com; http://www.motivationalquotes.com.
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