Mind Over Matter part 5
When you let the mind of Christ (that's already in you) be in you--by using it--that's when the cares of the world don't seem to matter as much. Let me say it another way, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). And as far as "seeking" goes, I don't think Jesus meant for us to seek the Kingdom as if it was something we don't have. I think "seek" here means "explore." In other words, USE the gift you've been given. Don't rob yourself of what you've been given by trying to earn something that can't be earned. Look at Matthew 6:33 in the NLT, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." Again--the things we are trying to earn are the things that have been freely given. We must simply (SIMPLY, not necessarily easily) receive and release them. Receive them BY releasing them. EXPERIENCE them by releasing them! And, for the record, living righteously doesn't mean jumping through religious hoops to try to fit into society's idea of what a "good Christian" is supposed to be. Living righteously means living in love. Letting God love you and loving others with that same love. Obeying the New Commandment. Which, again, comes down to trust. If you trust that your heavenly Father has your best interests at heart, then you will do what He wants you to do. And, to make it REALLY simple, what He wants you to do... is love. What else would the God who is love want? Which is why it drives me nuts when people are like, "I need your acceptance and support." And religious folk are like, "Let me pray about it." Like... all of God's promises are yea and amen, right? What God wants you to do--all of the time--is love people. Support people. And that doesn't mean you have to enable people. You don't have to help people do stuff they shouldn't be doing. But you don't have to judge them either. You can love them anyway. If the mind of Christ only thinks one thought (I love you) and it emerges as only one Word (Jesus... love), then our path should be clear. But we so easily seem to get caught up in every little thing. We react to what is going around us (outside of us) instead of letting out what's IN us. Someone hurts us, probably because they are hurting, and we immediately want to either hurt back or run and hide. Fight or flight. It takes a lot to stand there and take it. To endure. But that's why love never fails; because He endures. He doesn't smack back. He turns the other cheek. He doesn't demand that people do what He wants. He lets people be who they are--even as He shows people who they REALLY are by loving the hell out of them. Change comes from the inside-out. It comes from understanding that there's something better inside. The inner man. The hidden man of the heart. So when we stop letting whatever else get into us... that's when we can let what's REALLY in us come out. That's when we can BE who we are, instead of trying to to be someone we're not. When its the mind of Christ over matter... if you don't mind, it doesn't matter. If your sights are set on the Kingdom of God (the Kingdom of Love) and you are experiencing that love by giving it away... then everything else just sorts itself out. And that's when--and how--you can rest in the love of God!