Many people these days hire personal trainers to help them achieve their fitness goals. The benefits they site include:
- Motivation and encouragement
- A personalized routine, designed to produce maximum benefit for the time and effort invested
- Injury prevention
- Up-to-date information on health, nutrition, and fitness
Actually I have a Personal Trainer (you do, too) but for a far more important aspect of life than physical fitness. God is at work to “enlarge my heart.”
“I shall run the way of your commandments,
for you will enlarge my heart.”
Psalm 119:32, HCSB
In other words, God is working in me (Philippians 1:6) and with me (Psalm 23:4a) to develop my faith and mold my character into his likeness.
I do need his help to “run the way of [his] commandments,” just as the psalmist wrote eons ago (quoted above). Too often I’m side tracked onto self-chosen paths.
But how does God enlarge my heart to run his way?
First he initiates a change of heart.
And one day he will complete the process. We will be like Jesus (1 John 3:2). Can you imagine? One day we’ll finally become the holy and perfect people we’ve always wanted to be!
In between initiation and final transformation, we run:
- To work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12),
- With perseverance (Hebrews 12:1),
- That we may obtain the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24).
The Christian life involves effort on our part, much as physical fitness requires effort. Just hiring a personal trainer won’t get us healthy and strong; we must take responsibility to follow the trainer’s instructions.
Similarly, while being responsible to exercise diligence and discipline in order to become spiritually mature, we also depend completely on what God supplies.
“We must work out what God has worked in.”
–John MacArthur
And what has God worked in? Everything we need for life and godliness:
- Knowledge of him and his Word (2 Peter 1:3)
- His Holy Spirit, our Enabler (Romans 8:9)
- Wisdom (James 1:5)
- Power (Colossians 1:29)
- Strength (Psalm 73:26)
- Faith (Ephesians 6:16)
Yes, even our faith comes from him (Hebrews 12:2).
Now perhaps you’re one of those who have experienced the euphoria of being in “the zone,” during your workout. Once your heart rate is up, the blood is pumping, and your muscles are executing every move with precision, you experience a surge of energy and great pleasure in the activity.
I have never experienced that zone. My daily workouts involve uncomfortable huffing and puffing, aching muscles that beg me to “Stop with the push-ups already!” and downright boredom. (After decades of jumping jacks, they’re getting a bit old.)
But it’s the results we’re after, isn’t it, including better heart health.
The function of our spiritual hearts is also improved by the application of exercise in the form of difficulties, hurt, illness, discouragement, and more.
Wait a minute! How does hardship improve spiritual heart health?
God uses such circumstances to produce such results as fully developed maturity.
“When troubles of any kind come your way,
consider it an opportunity for great joy.
For you know that when your faith is tested,
your endurance has a chance to grow.
So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed,
you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
James 1:2-4, NLT
I may never experience the euphoria of the zone during physical exercise, but James’ assurance here promises a zone of joy as I allow God to enlarge my heart and choose to persevere through the challenges of life his way.
Talk about perfect results!
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Heavenly Father, I praise you for working into my life everything I need in order to become “perfect, complete, and needing nothing.” With your gracious provision, may I pursue the way of your commandments, and experience your euphoric joy!
(Art & photo credits: www.tampabayathletics.com; http://www.successandfailure.net; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.knowing-jesus.com; http://www.321delish.com; http://www.pinterest.com.)
The Mind of Christ
Posted in Bible Study, Blessings, Encouragement, Godly Character, Maturity, Meditation, 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.
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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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