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May you be enlightened and transformed this day, as you hear His voice speak into your heart, through His word that declares … but those who seek the Lord, will lack no good thing. [Psalms 34:10] His goodness comes into your life through His salvation. The salvation of God is multifaceted. One dimension of it is – God shining the light of His word in your heart, bringing divine order and abundance that is the blessing of God, and a transformation in you, by renewing your mind. But, there is a responsibility that is yours, and that is the need to cooperate with the leading and outworking of the grace of God in your soul. Therefore, as Paul writes to the Romans, inspired by the Holy Spirit – Do not be conformed to this world, rather be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may recognize what is the will of God – what is good, and acceptable and perfect. [Romans 12:2] The Ability to recognize the will of God, to then test it, comes with a renewing of your mind, through the word of God. It is a renewed mind, that leads to renewed understanding, the ability to see His goodness, in His word for you. And even in a fallen world, that could make it humanly impossible, the Sovereign God has made a way, to give you the ability to recognize it, so that you may respond with gratefulness saying,‘ Lord, You have been good to me..’
How does He give & how do you receive it?
Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. [2 Corinthians 2:12] It is when you know what you are receiving freely, that can make room in your heart with eagerness and willingness. A word of promise is how it comes to you, as a seed, and it is by persevering in it that it bears fruit. And you receive it by hearing the word, with understanding, to find your rest in it, whatever your problem may be, knowing that it is He who knows and understands your situation in and out. And as you stay committed, in time, the transformation will come, It requires you to have interest, and find delight, in reading the word of God, or rather, the word must read through you. It is then that you can recognize the goodness of God in His word.
A shift in thinking:
It was what King Jehoshaphat was able to do, find rest in times of great crisis, as He approached the Lord God to know His will, as he heard from the Lord, His promise that the battle was the Lord’s, and His guidance that he followed implicitly. And therefore, it was the singers who went ahead of the army, proclaiming the praises of the Lord who had given him victory over his enemies. [2 Chronicles 20:26] The king’s thought process shifted from military strategy, which was what the pattern of the world dictated was the answer to his problem, to a mind renewed by hearing from God, to obey it, which was reflected in the singers going ahead. And he was victorious! It is the blessed assurance that can be in you too, as a child of God. And knowing that whatever you are going through, is His problem and not yours, you can cast all your care on Him.
Taking time to listen:
He desires that you may live, and not merely survive. It can happen only as you put away all distractions, to draw near to Him, to hear Him speak, listen to what He has to say, regarding your life’s circumstances. And if it is a difficult challenge, it is what will bring an end to your misery, bringing restoration and peace. You need to listen, understand, and write down what He has to say to you, to abide by it. For, even in the secular world, observation, and interpretation, without application, is abortion or without any effect, it has been said. How much more when it is about what God speaks to you?
Renewed & carnal mind – the difference:
A woman came to the Lord having an alabaster bottle of very costly, fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. [Matthew 26:7] The one with a mind not renewed, or carnally minded, saw it as money wasted. But Christ saw it to be, praiseworthy, significant, and beautiful. And learning to think as Christ does is the path to having a renewed mind. The truth was, the perfume was poured on the One. through whom the world and everything in it, including the alabaster bottle of perfume, was made.! Also why it was considered to be wasteful is something to be pondered – for it reveals the fact that the disciples and others considered the perfume to be of greater worth than the One on whom it was poured. And of course, with a carnal mind, they could not be more wrong. It reveals the truth that it is only with renewed understanding, you can appreciate what God has in store for you.
The Cross:
And negating the worldly, seemingly appealing alternative, that the money involved, a year’s wages, could be given to the poor, which was what the people observing it put forth, was the Lord’s rebuke, portraying the renewed mind. [Matthew 26:10-13] What it teaches is that giving to the poor is also important, and has to be done. But the Cross takes center stage. Illustrating it is the story about the thief on the cross, who received with faith, the redemptive word of the Savior, to then enter paradise. And he said at the entrance to it, when asked how he got there, despite all that he had done, ‘The Man on the Cross at the center, said I could be here’! The enormity of those words, when you understand it, tells you what is valuable and significant in the sight of God.
‘I have fought the good fight..’:
Paul wrote these words even as he was alive on earth, for he recognized the goodness of God in His word, to know His will and fulfill it for His glory. [Galatians 2:20] And with a mind renewed by the word of God, you too know that you live for the glory of God., that He lives in you. And what you do is valuable, even as the anointing of the rich and fragrant perfume was, to the Lord. For you have been transformed to know His goodness in His word, to be able to say the words of the apostle, even as Christ was able to say unto His Father, ‘I have glorified You … I have glorified you on the earth; I have finished the work, which you have given Me to do’. [John 17:4] And the words of the prophet Simeon, at the temple, as he held the precious infant, Jesus, in his arms were,‘ Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word, For my eyes have seen Your salvation’. [Luke 2:29,30] Such a life of fulfillment can be yours, as you see the goodness of God in His word to you, as you sit at His feet to hear from Him, receiving what can never be taken away. May His word be a light for your path, a lamp unto your feet, and may the words of the virgin Mary be your response, saying, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be unto me according to your word. [Luke 1: 37] Lord, our Heavenly Father, We thank Thee for your word… May it take deep root in us, permeating deep within to remove every trace of what needs to be removed. Grant in us, we pray, a deep desire to study, relish and cherish Thy word is to be nourished by it, recognizing Your goodness in Your word, and finding rich fulfillment in our lives, that your Name may be glorified. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
