Tuesday, September 4, 2012

mind of Christ

1 corinthians 2:10-16; Ps 145 The Lord is just in all his ways; Luke 4:31-37

"No one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God."


How often in our life do we forget this!

How often do we find ourselves thinking about things with the spirit of the world rather than the spirit of God?  How often does the spirit of the world began to dictate our lifestyle and the choices w make?

When we guard grudges, when we refuse to forgive, when we no longer extend our hand in charity to the lonely and despairing, when we say those words that are frightfully ugly, when we give in to the irritation of the neighbor, when we excuse the wrong of another with stopping to offer a gentle correction, when find ourselves watching a TV sow that gets us laughing about a sexual sin in one form  or another and the list goes on and on and on.

How quickly we begin to think like the world living in the world!


But wait! St Paul tells us, as he was telling the corinthians almost 2000 years ago, that we do not have to rely on our own mind, on our own thinking.

No! not at all!

We have the mind of Christ.  Wow!  What a statement!  What a gift!

Not only is the spirit of God given to us but the mind of Christ also is laid bare for us so that as we move through the world we can follow the light more clearly.

What is the mind of Christ?

St Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians, "put on the the mind of Christ, who though was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather he emptied himself taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness, and found in human appearance, he humbled himself becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross..."

Humility seems to be the counter weight of balance that tips us into the Spirit of God most readily.

Humility becomes the ground form which we live.

Only then does God exalt.  We do not have to exalt ourselves, for the weight of glory shall lift us upward if only we humble ourselves as Christ humbled himself.

Put on the mind of Christ daily, hourly, minute by minute


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