Sunday 12 January, 2014

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. What a great thought but often difficult to implement. Sometimes its tricky to recognize that what we think/believe is not in line with God’s view.

Our fears or our lack of confidence or our stress often come out of not quite having all of God’s view of us straight in our heads. We need to choose to believe what God says even when it doesn’t feel true. Sometimes we need someone else (a friend or the Holy Spirit) to pick out where our thinking is not quite in line with God’s view because we may be missing it. This is another reason God encourages us to share our burdens or concerns with those around us.

Thank you Lord that you give us your Holy Spirit to help us renew our thoughts and attitudes. Help us to see what areas we are not in line with Your word so that we can renew our minds.

Written by Therese Manning