Sunday, April 15, 2012

Not Need-Minded, Not Seed-Minded, But Spirit-Minded Part III

Now let us take a closer look at the three elements in the title of this post:

"Need-minded" -- what should we be mindful of if we have a need?

"The LORD is my shepherd. I shall not want." (Psalm 23: 1) 

Paul the apostle later writes:

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4: 19)

What seed should we be mindful of? God's Word, of course:

"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God." (Luke 8: 11)

And it is the Word of God that we must seek out the most in our lives:

"Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

"And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

"But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
"And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

"But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10: 38-42)
Mary drew from Jesus, and Jesus defended her against the rebuke of her huffy sister Martha. Receiving God's Word is the priority in our lives, receiving Him through the Word:

His seed, His Word, and letting it be planted in our hearts, that's how we are to be seed-minded.

"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1: 21)

We are called to live out what Christ gives and lives within us. What we have received, we freely give. If you are not freely receive God’s grace in your life, then you have nothing to give. If you are not spirit-led, then you will be needs-driven. If you are not Spirit-led, then you will have no seed to shed on anyone else.
Sunday televangelism cannot compare with reading God’s Word for yourself. Meet Christ in the Word, and He will transform you from glory to glory.

About being spirit-minded, the Bible speaks clearly:
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8: 6)

We are spirited-minded as we meditate on His Word:

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6: 63)

I say that every believer must be spirit-minded, spirit-led, and spirit-aware, more than anything else. We have nothing to give in the first place, we have no seed if we have not received the Word of God. If we have not Christ in us, then we have nothing but infinite debt. We have nothing to give, we are nothing. And nothing can come from nothing.
"Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit." (Matthew 12: 33)
We do not need to to "do" something to be spirit-minded. We need to receive the Holy Spirit, the gift above all gifts which we receive because of the Finished Work of Christ on the Cross. We grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, which in effect causes His Word to furrow and grow in our hearts, and thus we are moved and motivated to be obedient.

We believe Him, we receive His love, and we then release His love to others, not by works but by faith:

"We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4: 19)

It cannot be any simpler than that!

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