Setting Your Mind

"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." (Romans 8:5)

Back in this verse again.

In the past couple of months my reading outside of the Bible has been minimal. One of the ways that I stay fresh and challenged and even mentored is by reading. Yes, reading biblical/theological works, but also reading good leadership books, business stuff that stimulates my entrepreneur side, imaginative fiction. . . .

This morning I was thinking about how I'm responsible to keep my mind fresh and creative with all kinds of things that stimulate the creativity of the Spirit . . . And again primary is God's Word. Foundational. Essential. It is my measuring stick for everything else.

But also allowing God to use fresh thinking from many disciplines of life gives me life!

In Accordance With . . .

"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." (Romans 8:5)

Being a disciple of Jesus is about being 'covered in the dust of the Rabbi' - yesterdays sermon (audio, video). Jesus no longer physically resides on the planet, but His Spirit resides in His followers. And it's His Spirit who gets us dirty in His dirt.

And it begins with where we dwell with our mind. Do we dwell on what is 'true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable. . . . excellent or praisworthy.' (Philippians 4:8)?
Or does your mind drift to whatever is convenient and comfortable?

What dust you accumulate today will begin with how you set your mind.

Faithful

I praise God for Kim Galloway who faithfully posts Scripture every day on Creek Living Water !

This morning, as she began her second full year of providing a way for us to dwell in the Word, she posted this passage:

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." Romans 8: 28-30

What an awesome reminder of God's promises as we go into the New Year!

How are you going to get your spiritual nourishment this year?

It's easy to say, 'Yeah, this is the year!' But studies have shown that people who have a plan - a How, a When and a Where - get more things accomplished.

Don't have a plan? Click here and check out Creek Living Water . . . Maybe it's part of God's 2009 plan for you . . .

Children Around the World

This is awesome . . . Tim & Susan Klaus (Tim is on our Elder Team & they both are active - and awesome - in leading at Oso Creek) got back from Korea late last week with a new baby boy!

They adopted James (on the left with Tim) who is almost exactly a year younger than Paul.

Adoption is such an incredible picture of what God has done for us! All of us who are followers of Jesus, have been adopted.

"In those days you were living apart from Christ. . . You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ. . . So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family—calling him 'Father, dear Father.'" (Ephesians 2:12-13; Romans 8:15)

Christ in you, the Hope of Glory, Pt 2

"Christ IN me, the hope of glory!"

I've never been pregnant, but I've watched real closely as four different aliens invaded my wife's tummy (2 at one time! See pic . . . and, No, I never really wore glasses that were that dorky, those were goggles to make sure no alien juice got in my eyes!).

I can remember watching with incredible awe as those aliens twisted and turned and kicked, and the two even wrestled, all while being IN Cindy's belly! Amazing! I wonder if part of the reason God does it that way is to give us a glimpse of the spiritual in the physical.

Unlike in the Old Testament when the Spirit of God came upon or over people for a season to empower them . . . as a follower of Christ, the Spirit of Christ now resides IN you. Think about that a minute. Just as real as a child in a mother's womb, the presence of God lives IN us!

This is one of the coolest verses in the whole bible: "The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as He raised Christ from the dead, He will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you."

Wow, did you hear that! (And if you really want to get a taste of this power read all of Romans 8). He will give you LIFE!

Where do you need to be raised from the dead? What relationships or hopes or dreams have you allowed to begin to die? What fears or anxieties are killing you?

You can choose today whether to allow those things outside of you to control your life - or to allow the Spirit of God - Christ IN you - to give you life!

Tell us about how God is speaking to you?

In the wee hours of this (Friday) morning a woman who was a very dear member of one of our Life Groups passed from this life to the next.

Paul said that 'nothing will be able to separate us from the love of Christ . . . For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'

Life and life abundantly! For the follower of Jesus, even in 'death' there is just more LIFE . . . IN Christ Jesus!

Check out this great blog by one of our Creekers - Kim Galloway - as she reflects on Helen's old life, her new life, and what it means to LIVE in Christian community.