Good morning.
Recently, I spoke with a woman who had just undergone back surgery. She mentioned struggling with the fear of moving because of the pain she anticipates experiencing when she does. On the other hand, the doctors advised her that if she doesn’t move regularly, she will never walk again. So, we are praying not only for a decrease in pain, but also for an increase in courage and a good nursing staff.
In Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 5-8, there is a particular passage that is a reminder for us to stay present and trust in God’s daily provision rather than carrying the weight and anxieties of the future. But let’s set it in context:
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt 6:34).
As I read this, I think receiving the promise requires setting our minds on the Kingdom first. For me, it’s not that easy, as distractions fly at me the moment I get out of bed. We need a change in mindset.
In his book, Live Like Jesus, Putty Putman writes, “It is a good idea to pay attention to your thoughts and to confess Scripture, but the basic fact of the matter is that you cannot renew your own mind. The Spirit has to do it. You cannot bring yourself into truth. The Spirit is here to do that for you.”
For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God (1 Cor 2:11-12).
Did you catch what Paul said here?
He said we have the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit knows God’s thoughts. The Holy Spirit knows God’s mindset. He teaches us to think the way that God thinks. Why? So that we may comprehend what God has already given us.
Our heart posture is critical. Are we prayerfully in submission and openness, expecting the Spirit of God to guide us into truth more and more every day? Are we willing to let God edit what we think is true about the world?
I am excited to be with you this coming Sunday for Worship and then Session 9 in the God in Film Sermon Series.
Embracing His grace,
Seth
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