Getting the "Re-" Back Into Life

[HKHaugan]

Listening to country radio from Galax, Virginia this morning a song came on called “I Don’t Know a thing About Love.” Of course like all country songs it has to do with guys and gals but the real issue is love itself. I started thinking about how far mankind, and myself, have a tendency to drift from God’s love every day.

Let me use an illustration.

I don’t know whether or not it is the aging process but have you ever had the experience of going into a room to get something but on the way you started thinking about something else and when you got to the room you forgot what you were looking for in the first place? This is exactly what happened to Adam and Eve in the Garden. They were headed into doing what the Lord wanted them to do and they got sidetracked by their own thinking, thinking apart from God’s Word and found themselves where they were headed but forgot why they were there. They lost their bearings.

If you think about this in a personal context it brings up the question of our purpose, our reason, the ‘why’ we exist. Actually that moment is a gift to remind us of our source, who created us, why and how we fit into the larger picture of life in a massive universe. When I say ‘remind’ I use that word purposefully. It means we were once in a right mind and we need to re-up with, re-turn to and re-cover ourselves with, the mind humanity was given in its inception. There is no clearer passage in Scripture that ‘re-s’ us than Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV). This is how we can have our mind re-stored, that is, store up God’s mind in us again. The underlining that follows is a way to approach the pearls of thought within the passage.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It’s all about relationships, isn’t it? This what Paul discovered. And, ---he discovered three things. First, God in Jesus showed him personal love. Second, God showed Paul how to love himself by loving Him first. Third, the natural consequence of loving God was to love others as God loved him.

Now carry these three thoughts forward.

First, it has to start in the mind with what we believe. It is the way our mind is ‘set.’ We go into His room, Holy Scripture, without other ideas, other philosophies, compromised conclusions and distractions. We go into His room staying conscious of Him being the purpose we entered. We open that door knowing the Holy Spirit will guide us as we stay open to what His Word is moving us to see. We walk holding His hand learning about Him moment by moment.

Second, as we walk we take the thoughts about Him the Holy Spirit gives us and compare ourselves with Him. That’s the purpose of His Word, to think like Him, to be like Him and to act like Him. This is how we empty ourselves, how we humble ourselves, how we love ourselves. It’s a moment-by-moment process of trusting the Spirit to evaluate, adjust and correct us while we are in the midst of relationships.

Third, because we have thought God and trusted God, we simply see others as we see ourselves and let the Spirit guide our words and actions. We go into every relational situation not knowing from one moment to the next what we will say or do. We know Who is present, we trust Him and act out our faith in Him. Sure, we worship, we plan our lives in Him but the real thing we do is act in faith every next moment. This was the mindset of Jesus and is His mindset coming through the Spirit when we humble ourselves before Him in the presence of others.

But it wasn’t only His ‘mind-set,’ it was His ‘heart-set’ and His ‘Spirit-set’ as well. This is what this passage in Philippians is all about. We’ll delve further a bit later.