The Mind of a Son

In 1 Corinthians 2:16 we are told that, "...we have the mind of Christ."  There are many Scriptures that refer to this theme of having the thoughts of God, renewing the mind, and basically thinking the way Jesus thinks.  Since as sons and daughters of God we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, Christ dwells in us by faith, and we live with access to continual fellowship with the Father our thinking must be different than the world around us.  Being seated in heavenly places with God in Christ (Ephesians 2:6) means that all our thoughts should come from heaven and not earth.  Further in Colossians 3:3 the Word says, "You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."  We are no longer to live thinking, seeing, and having perspectives that are ruled by the natural realm.  Yet as believers I have found that we often believe we can think "old" and walk in "new life".  I admit I have tried this much more than I would like to admit.

If we are to exchange our natural mind (which the Bible often calls the carnal mind) for the mind of Christ, then we all need a radical upgrade to our thinking, believing, and our expectations.  In Romans 12:2-3 where Paul is talking about being transformed by the renewing of your mind, this means the complete or total transformation of how you think.  God is not interested in you thinking a few thoughts from His perspective, say about political hot topics like abortion or legalizing all drugs, but about progressively transforming all your thinking, believing, and expecting.

If you are a little overwhelmed by that thought, join the club.  After 30 years of being a follower of Christ, I realize I have a lot of "stinking thinking".  I am so grateful to Father that what He asks of us He also supplies from His great love and heart.  We have the third member of the Trinity living inside us, in the person, power, and Presence of the Holy Spirit.  Holy Spirit is so outrageously good at being able to transform our thinking that what seems like a huge job and overwhelming is more like a game to Him.  I am not trivializing "the game" because it is an important role for the Holy Spirit, but He is God and for Him to think the thoughts and perspectives of God is innate in His very being.  Holy Spirit loves to take from all Jesus is for us and has done on our behalf and reveal truth to us on an ongoing basis to the point where we experience a river of daily revelation from Heaven.

Seriously, did Jesus constantly think about what God wouldn't do, couldn't do, or wasn't willing to do for Him.  No.  Jesus being a Beloved Son of His Father knew that the Father as God Almighty as well as His intimate Father.  From knowing the Goodness and Kindness of the Father Jesus knew how extravagant, generous, powerful, and unrelentingly loving Father is.  Yet as a Son He was always submitted to the Father's great heart, will, and desires.  Jesus did not think in terms of limits, problems, and impossibilities.  How could Jesus be God and the Father's Son to think this way?  You and I have been made sons (gender neutral), should we not think the same way as the Firstborn among many brethren.

Thinking as a son,
Bret