April 2016-RTM, Day 15

Today’s Verse:

I am a child of God (Romans 8:16).

In Context:

So, you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. (Romans 8:15-16)

Fearful slaves. These are powerful words. How many of us feel like slaves to someone else on a daily basis? It could be a boss at work, the people we serve at our job (if we are in a service industry career), a co-worker who has been with the company for many years, someone in our family who depends on us or who just doesn’t respect us and expects us to take care of everything for them, OR it could be a time from your past or your culture’s past.  Point being, most of us have felt at one time or another what it was like to be a “slave” to another, and even possibly a “fearful slave.”  Thankfully, in today’s American workplace, we can report the “slave driver” who is treating us inappropriately to a supervisor, union, or the EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity), but it doesn’t take away that fearful feeling we once had at the hands of another. It doesn’t take away the degradation we experienced from someone who was entitled or was put in a position of power over us. 

So, here’s the good news…the “renewing your mind” kind of news….It’s not a natural state of mind for us, that slave mentality.  Some people are better at remembering that than others. They always stand up for themselves and their rights, and they never let anyone walk over them, but others of us are not so good at it.  Some of us have a hard time drawing that line, and we just want to please, even at the expense of our confidence and self-esteem.  It’s during those times that we need to remember we are not slaves to anyone. We were made by a mighty creator, all equal and loved the same. 

April 17, 2016-RTM, Day 14

Today’s Verse:

I am filling my mind with only good things (Philippians 4:8).

In Context:

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9 NLT)

I absolutely LOVE these verses! If only I was able to abide by them every day all the time.  This is truly the definition of renewing the mind, particularly when our thoughts are often far from honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.  It’s so easy to get caught up in all the problems of the world and in our own lives.  It’s so easy to complain, be negative, blame someone else, wallow in self-pity, and generally be sour.  It seems to be easier to be negative than it is to be positive. 

One of the things we are trained on in the world of childcare is to use positive guidance. This means avoiding the use of the words “No, don’t, and stop.”  You don’t realize how hard it is to eliminate these words from your vocabulary until someone challenges you to actually do it.  Don’t run. Stop hitting your friends. No, that is not okay.  Instead, we attempt to rephrase these into positive terms. Use walking feet. Be gentle. What can you do? Here’s your choices. Imagine if we all tried to take these words out of our vocabulary entirely….not just when working with children.  Fixing our thoughts only on the positive, the best in people, the things that are worthy of praise, not worthy of our complaints.  How might that change us and others we work with, play with, or meet each day?  What if we used positive guidance on ourselves and our mindsets, so that whenever we start to even think negatively, we “rephrase” our thoughts.  It’s certainly something worth trying, isn’t it?  

April 14, 2016-RTM, Day 13

Today’s Verse:

I am speaking in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19).

In Context:

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5: 15-20, NLT)

Sound familiar, well it should. This is the same set of context verses as from my Day 8 RTM blog post.  The difference this time is the verse number. In Day 8, it was verse 18, now it’s verse 19, and there is much to gain from each verse in this powerful, yet concise 5 verses written by Paul to the church in Ephesus.  

In terms of how we can renew our minds when considering these verses, particularly verse 19 (singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…), I think this one is the most straightforward of them all so far.  Let me explain why. My son and I just recently finished watching the last season of American Idol together on TV. It was a very emotional season, and more than once the judges of the show (Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr.)  explore with the contestants what they believe/think the purpose of music is including things like to make others feel what you feel and to connect with others through what you sing.  I can’t remember the exact words by one of the judges, but I do remember how powerful it was because her comment emphasized the idea that although music is not what many would consider a “service type” industry, it still serves an important purpose in touching people and often moving them to action, either to better themselves or help one another. 

I agree wholeheartedly with the judges’ thoughts on music’s purpose. I know the purpose it has served for me….to get me through hard times, to calm my fears, to bring me joy, to remind me that I am not alone in this world or my experiences, and to express my own emotions in a healthy manner.  Singing has always been my favorite part of church services, my favorite thing to do in the car on long rides, and a way to share my thoughts and feelings (similar to writing-it can be a therapeutic experience for me).  So, what can we learn about ways to renew your mind through this verse? Simple, when you need a pick me up on a rough day, put on your favorite song and jam away! Music has always been able to bring me out of a funk. How ‘bout you? 

April 6, 2016-RTM, Day 12

Today’s Verse:

I am more than a conqueror through Christ (Romans 8:37).

In Context:

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. (Romans 8: 35-37)

Overwhelming victory is OURS through Christ.  I am more than a conqueror, not because of anything I have done right, but simply because I am a child of God above.  Imagine if we approached each day of our lives with this thought at the forefront of our minds.  Imagine beginning each task we are responsible for with the idea that we are victorious and more than conquerors.  How would this change what we do and/or how we respond to others when they ask us to do things for them, whether work-related or personal?  Whether or not you believe in God, don’t you think this is a quality way to approach our lives and everyday decisions?  Faith based or not, believing in ourselves and what we can do to improve and change our current work and home lives for the better is what today’s renewing the mind is all about. 

Next time you head to work or into your day at home with WITHOUT joy and the general sense of being a conqueror, take a moment to stop and readjust.  Remember, you are more than a conqueror. You have the overwhelming victory!  

April 4, 2016-RTM, Day 11

Today’s Verse:

I am blessed with all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3).

In Context:

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. (Ephesians 1:3-5)

Wow, isn’t this an encouraging passage! It just makes me feel special, important, and loved.  I am blessed with all spiritual blessings, simply because God wanted to do it, and it made him happy to do so.  Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.  Even today, the songs I most enjoy in church services are when we go back to the old hymns I grew up with in the Southern Baptist church. Why? I think it’s because they are so heartfelt and humbling.  They give credit and tribute back to God, where it belongs and recognize that we are nothing without Him.  It seems that we, as a human race, become more selfish and self-centered with each passing year, each fleeting decade, so to read of a God who adopts, blesses, and brings us into his family (despite our faults) just because He wanted to is AMAZING! I was lucky to be raised in the church and to start out my life with a childlike faith. My faith has carried me through more than I ever knew it could…God has carried me through more than I ever could have done alone. 

In a world that more often than not forgets about God (except in the most dire of circumstances), I choose to continue to believe in what I cannot see, to believe in what I cannot prove, but I know in my heart to be true.  Why? Because I have been blessed with all spiritual blessings and many other types of blessings that I most certainly do NOT deserve, and the only rational explanation, to me, for such blessing is the hand of a higher power up above, a creator who cares more about us than we could ever imagine or comprehend.  Renewing my mind this week means remembering that I am blessed, and not because of anything I have done to deserve it, but in spite of all that I have done to NOT deserve it.