All Things part 4
It's no much HAVING it all as it is USING what you have. To really (hopefully) drive this point home I want to link two verses of Scripture. 1 Corinthians 2:16 (NLT), "For, "Who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?" But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ." And, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippains 2:5). Did you catch that? We have the mind of Christ. He gave it to us. It's not something we need. It's something we already have. We can know the Lord's thoughts. And, just in case we ever get confused about that, there's Jeremiah 29:11 to help us out, "For I know the thouhgts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Man, I love that verse. When my son was new I asked my pastor to pick out and write a memory verse in Logan's bible for him. I gave my pastor the Bible, then when and preached a sermon. About Jeremiah 29:11. The same verse my pastor picked. It wasn't planned--by us at least--but God knows what He's doing. Anyway... if we have thoughts that don't line up with God's thoughts about us, thoughts of peace and not of evil, that's when we need to bring our thoughts under His captivity. That's when we need to USE the mind of Christ that is ALREADY in us. Again, it's not about GETTING anything. We have all things that pertain to life and godliness. We know all things. It's about being thankful and grateful for what we have... and using what we have. It's not getting what you want, it's wanting what you've got. Living with an attitude of gratitude. Knowing and believing that my God HAS provided all our need, according to His riches in glory. I have no lack because my God has no lack. I have everything I need. I simply need to know it, believe it, and use it. If we want to test the height, and length, and breadth, and depth of God's love for us... we do so by loving people bigger, and harder, and stronger than we ever have before. You test something out by putting it into practice. We experience and enjoy the gift we've been given (the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of God which is His life of love) by giving it away. Love IS giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. So instead of being so caught up on getting something you think you haven't got... give what you know you have got. Let what's inside--again, the love of God--come out by knowing and believing that it's in there. By letting God love you and loving Him back by loving the people you come into contact with. If you don't know what to do... do what you know. You know God loves you... love people! God and people, I'm telling you. Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. Let God love the hell out of you, and love Him back by loving the hell out of people! "All things" boils down to love. It really does. What else could pertain to "life and godliness" but love? God IS love. To live is to love (and to love is to live). It's all about love. We know all things because we know the ultimate truth of the universe--that God is love and He loves you. That the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things--ALL THINGS--into His hands. Jesus spoke about having all authority in heaven and earth. And now, living in, and through, and as us, WE have that same authority. Kings and priests equipped and empowered to rule and reign on this earth. Heaven isn't just for when you die. It is a present reality. The days of heaven on earth. That's where we are. That's WHO we are. That's what we have, and what we can do. Giving what we've got--loving people--is how we rule and reign!