Friday, December 14, 2012

MY TEXTBOOK

     Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took on the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  (Philippines 5-8)
  Understanding a religious mind is the evidence of a mind without Christ. 
  As a Christian, I understand the meaning of a religious mind, for I was a religious Christian before I accepted Christ as my Lord and Saviour.  As such, I was bonded with my Christian denomination at that time, but I was not bonded with Christ:   my mind was merged with my denomination and I and my denomination were one.   When I came to Christ, I surrendered my religious mind.
   Knowing Christ is all about knowing Christ.  It is the surrendering of my will and my mind so that my will and my mind will be more like the mind of Christ and not the mind of myself.  As I read and study God's Holy Bible, and as I memorize Bible scriptures, my mind takes on the Word of God; and, in so doing, I will think more like Christ than I think as myself, I will act more like Christ than I will act like myself, and I will do more like Christ than I will do like myself.  In total, I become a walking-talking textbook of Christ and not a textbook of me. 
  None of this means, however, that I am Christ; neither does it mean that I am perfect in all of my ways:  for I am not.  Following Christ is a learning process, and I have made many mistakes in my walk with Christ as I continue to make many mistakes:  for I am human and fully capable of not being all I can be in the Lord.  And every day I have to learn how to walk again with Him, which is not easy to do, and neither will it ever be easy; for as Christians we continue to face an internal battle:  not my will, but the will of Christ. 
   Wherefore, a person can not accept Christ unless he is willing to abandon his religion.  For Christ is not about laws, rules, and regulations, nor is He about rites and rituals.  For Christ is not a religion, neither is He part of a religious system.  As such, a person can not bond with Christ and also bond with religion:  for the two do not mix; and neither can we serve two masters.   But if I desire to cling to my religion, this means that I have rejected Christ; for we can not have it both ways:  either I choose to be religious, or I will choose Christ.  And if I cling to my religion, I will continue to be a walking-talking textbook of my religion.
   To do the will God, Christ humbled Himself to His heavenly Father; and for us to believe in Christ, then we must humble ourselves before Him.  In so doing, then Christ becomes Lord of my life; but if I cling to religion, then religion is the lord of my life. 
   To whom are you bonded?  The evidence of this question is in your mind and in your heart.  If your heart is in your religion, there will your mind be also.  But if your heart is in Christ, your mind will also be in Christ. 
   Read your textbook:  what is your textbook saying?
   If my heart and my mind are in my religion, then my textbook is all about me, and not about Christ.

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