A Welcomed Renewal

 Tuesday, July 22, 2025

 Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored; renew our days as of old… Lamentations 5:21

Anytime we want to change something in our lives, we have to change the way we think. Renewing of our mind takes place daily - sometimes more than once a day - when we study God's word, meditate on His word, and remember His word. 

• Renewal of our Minds 
• Renewal of our Strength 
• Renewal of our Steadfastness

RENEWING = comes from the root, to restore. It speaks of renovation. 

The old saying of, "garbage in, garbage out" tells how our minds need renovating.  The mind is incredible.  We can store and retrieve information in our minds that far exceeds the most advanced computer. 

·      The mind is a garden that could be cultivated to produce the harvest that we desire. 

·      The mind is a workshop where the important decisions of life and eternity are made. 

·      The mind is an armory where we forge weapons for our victory or our destruction. 

·      The mind is a battlefield where all the decisive battles of life are won or lost. 

The Bible warns us in Proverbs 23:7, "for as he thinks in his heart, so is he."  The mind alone is precious. But our minds become even more precious when we come to Christ.  Our minds then become the threshold for thinking and acting in the capacity as Christ did.  Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 2:16b, "We have the mind of Christ."

The renovation of our minds does not come easy. The enemy would rather us have a debased, unfruitful mind.  The mind is a battlefield.  The transformation and renewing of our minds begins when we begin to take control of our thoughts. 

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ… 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

This is the sieve of renewing the mind. If we capture every thought, and bring it to the feet of Christ, our minds will become renewed as we become like-minded with Christ.  If we will renew our minds in this fashion, think what it will do for our speech!  No more gossiping, for gossiping is not of the mind of Christ!  No more saying hurtful words, for hurtful words are not of the mind of Christ! 

Let this year be the year you began to renew your minds in Christ Jesus.

…fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:2-5

The Simple Way

Monday, July 21, 2025

I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13

The Simple Way

The definition of simplicity is the quality or condition of being easy to understand or do. Practicing simplicity as a Christian looks like cutting out all the unnecessary stuff in our lives that really make following Jesus so much harder. The Jesus Way is a simple way and requires nothing extra other than our undivided mind and heart. There are no props needed. There are no uniforms needed. There is not a lot of money required. There really isn’t any training or school required to follow him, learn to live and love like him, and point others to him. There will be things – physical things of this world, false prophets, well intentioned Christians – who might lead us into believing that there is more that we have to do to belong to Christ. 

Paul says in Colossians 2:8, See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Paul was speaking to the church in Colossae to warn them of false teachers complicating the faith with “empty deceit.” They were trying to get the Christians in Colossae to believe that they had to continue to follow the old laws, which required them to do many things to be saved. Remember they are talking about over 600 rules to follow, and no one was capable of doing all of them. Paul reminds them they already have salvation – if was a gift freely given to them. All the other things were, as Paul said, “Not according to Christ.”

Why is simplicity necessary to grow as a disciple?

It is important to be unhindered by any distractions as we grow as a disciple. We can’t grow if we are confined or constricted. The more clutter we have in our lives, hearts, and minds, the more chaos and confusion there will be. When so many things have a hold on us it is impossible for our lives to be simple.  

Being a disciple does require us to put our faith in him and trust him completely. It does require us to obey and go where he leads us. It does require us to shed ourselves of anything and everything that does not honor God and point us towards him. We can’t start down a path on a journey to grow as his disciple dragging all our “things” with us. They will complicate the process by distracting us from what is supposed to be the center of our lives and hearts – Jesus. Everything else is just clutter and I don’t know about you, but when the house is a mess, I cannot focus on anything. Cleaning up the clutter help to clear my mind and focus on what I need to focus on. 

Jesus is all we ever need. Anything else we ever go to give us what only Jesus can give us muddies our hearts and complicates our lives. Just as a house divided cannot stand (Matthew 12:25), a heart divided cannot focus fully on Jesus and grow as a disciple. Uncomplicate and unclutter your life today so you can begin to fully grow in him. 

Are there things in your life that are causing you to have divided attention and a divided heart? 

What changes do you need to make to your life to put yourself in a position to grow as a disciple?