Revolutionary Mindset – Become The Person He Created You To Be – Purity 1371
Purity 1371 06/10/2024 Purity 1371 Podcast
Purity 1371 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of an unknown painting depicting a simpler although not necessarily better life from the 18th or 19th century comes to us from yours truly as I captured this work of art will visiting one of the galleries of the Springfield Museums complex in Springfield Massachusetts back on December 9th of 2023.
Well, It’s Monday again and as we go back to the drawing board of another work week, I am short on time this morning as the Lord occupied more time than usual this morning in prayer.
Tonight I attend the Wild at Heart Men’s book study at Starpoint Church and even though I have been through Eldredge’s book more than once and have done a lot of inventory/prayer ministry/recovery work in the past to heal my “wounds” I decided to be true to the study and review the homework material that is supposed to be completed before tonight’s session. Although the review questions covered the wounds that have already been resolved in my walk of faith, I was reminded that the work of dealing with past wounds and offering forgiveness is in some ways always a work in progress. Even the most disciplined follower of Jesus collects offenses as we walk through life and I discovered that I had a few people to “forgive” to release some slowly simmering bitterness and although my prayer session took normally than it usually does this morning I am happy to report that I feel much lighter and at peace this morning as I forgave from the heart and surrendered certain people and situations to God.
As we develop as Christians – through prayer, Bible Study, and seeking to apply the Lord’s ways to our lives, we become more and more different from the people that don’t know or pursue the things of God. Although we are all created in God’s image, we are not created equal or remain equal as some don’t know or choose not to follow the Lord. To utilize the Bible’s teachings as a manual for living is unorthodox in our secular world and to think about how you can become more and more like Jesus in order to become the person God created you to be is a revolutionary mindset. To think about what God would want for your life rather to think about what you want for your life is a foreign concept for most people, even among some who would identify themselves as “Christian”, but I have discovered that this revolutionary mindset – to pursue and to do God’s will for your life – is precisely the thing that has made the difference in being able to know a life that is defined by a deep abiding sense of peace and joy.
Ironically, however, taking on this mindset – to be an authentic Christian – an actual follower of Jesus, will put you in direct opposition of the vast majority of the world. Not only will your priorities be different from your contemporaries but there will be a palpable sense of rejection or animosity toward you when you are vocal and out-front about how you are living according to Jesus’s different way. The world hated Jesus and so it should be no surprise to us when we encounter subtle or not-so-subtle forms of rejection or hatred when we are open about following His ways for living. Of course, we are not perfect like Jesus, so we will be hated all the more for trying to be like him and for not doing so perfectly… In the eyes of the world, we can’t win – they will hate us for trying, they will hate us for the success we will have, and they will hate us if we should fail. With the world, we just can’t win.
But the good news is that Jesus overcame the world, and he told us so in
John 16:33 (NKJV) where he told us the purpose of his teaching and assured us what to do in the midst of our trials, He said:
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
His teachings are given to us to give us peace – with God, with our fellow man, and ourselves. His atonement makes us right with God and takes away our guilt and His commands to forgive others cause us to let go of offense and to be compassionate towards those who are spiritually blind – to forgive them for they do not know what they do, because they don’t know Him and subsequently will lash out at the world as they will look for love in all the wrong places and obsess over things that were never intended to ultimately satisfy them.
As today’s photo reminds us, as much as things may have changed in the history of the world, many things remain the same – we still have to work to meet our physical needs and while things may have been improved to make that struggle to be easier – meeting our physical or even our relational needs was never intended to be the means to our peace and joy. The truth is we couldn’t earn or find those things on our own and the only way to discover them is by surrendering to God and His revolutionary mindset that tells us to trust in the unseen things and to put our demands for happiness aside to serve His kingdom and others. Instead of getting mad and getting even, He tells us to forgive and to give the hurt and desire for revenge to Him to fulfill – to trust Him to set things right in the end.
So if you are feeling a little angsty about having to go to work this morning or about difficulties you have in life or in your relationships, I suggest you put those offenses down and decide to adopt the revolutionary mindset of Jesus and trust God to show you the way. Keep walking and talking with Him and you can discover the peace of becoming the person He created you to be.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This morning’s meditation verse come from the section on Divorce.
Genesis 2:24 (NIV2011)
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Today’s verse falls under the first point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Divorce.
1. When God instituted marriage he made it clear that the marriage bond is to be permanent.
Today’s verse establishes marriage between one man and one woman as God’s plan for human relationships. The two become one flesh in God’s economy and so marriage should not be seen as two people brought together to have one take care of the one another or to make each other happy as much as it should be seen as the creation of a new organism – one flesh – that operates out of the unity of love to operate as one. Divorce is rendered obsolete when we are united with God at the center of our relationships.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own private study and to support his work. This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.
MORNING READING: ROMANS 14
“Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.”
– Romans 14:5
There are some, says the apostle, which esteem one day above another. Similarly, there are believers who eat certain meats which others would not touch. “Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.” This assurance the Holy Spirit will confirm, if the following things serve as the guiding principles:
• Christ must be Lord (v. 8).
• All must be done in the light of the Judgment Seat (v. 10).
• What is done must not cause a brother to stumble (vv. 13, 21).
• It must not overthrow the Work of God (v. 20).
• It must be done in faith; otherwise, it is sin (v. 23).
• My brother must not be judged, as long as what he does is not a stumbling block (v. 13).
• In all, I must follow the things that make for peace and edification (v. 19).
Lord, may I weigh all things against these principles
and the assurance of the Holy Spirit.[1]
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“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
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