Let’s consider
Consider carefully what you hear... Mark 4:24
Prayer: Luke 8:18 “Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”
In this final devotion, I want to summarize Renewing the Mind by going over key points we’ve covered. To renew ourselves is a process that begins the moment we commit to the action required.
The process of change for Christians must involve God’s Holy Spirit in us. To attempt change on our part without involving God, even though we want to change for God, will result in nothing more than shallow differences in our nature, our character. We must realize it is always an ongoing process as Paul writes of in Philippians 3:13- “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead...” NIV The record of Paul’s life is a roadmap of the process we enter when changing.
We must pray! Prayer does so many good things for us there is not space here to cover it all. To pray effectively we must educate ourselves as to why we want change in our lives in the first place. This enables us to pray specifically – it aims the arrow of prayer right at the target.
Who of us has time to spare? Part of our process is making allowances for time in our day, every day, for prayer and study of God’s word. Again, if we neglect this crucial part of the process, everything else that follows is going to be shallow and will not satisfy in the deep places of the soul, and the soul knows when we are cheating. Listen to your spirit, for God will speak to you in the quiet times.
The driving force for us to change must be grounded in love! To have love for God and love for others, and yes, even love for ourselves, is to take care of our spirits, for God is Spirit and those of us who will come to God must worship Him in spirit and truth. (See John 4:23)
Read the Gospels for other deeply moving accounts of Jesus when He interacts with hurting people. I have found no occasion when He ever refused anyone who asked of Him in sincerity.
In Galatians 5, Ephesians 4, 5 and 6, and 2 Peter 1 we have examples to follow. Again, we must pray for God’s Spirit to enable us to change, and having prayed this, we then may seek to live as Jesus did (and does in Heaven), by practicing the virtues listed in the above books of the Bible. There are other examples throughout the Old and New Testament as well. To become like God in His character begins when we take a word of scripture and put it into practice, take action on it. This process is for life. It takes a lifetime of growth. Now, instead of this discouraging you, let it instead excite you with the adventure of it all. Though it is a hard process, what you gain is worth every bloody drop of pain extracted from you.
In James 5:11 we are told, “...we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about...” NIV
Persevere my friends – and you will have what your heart is yearning for.