The Daily Renewal

Not enough has been written, taught, or spoken concerning the need to renew our minds. There's plenty of material out there that focuses upon behavioral modification, but not enough to deal with what you do mentally. I can honestly say that after years & YEARS of trying to change my behavior (some of it successful - most of it not), the moment I began to change the way I think was the beginning of the greatest transformation in my life.

The verse out of Romans always comes to mind when we start talking about renewing our minds. You will find it in chapter 12 verse 2, "...be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Renew (to make new again is always how I hear it), actually means to resume (an activity) after an interruption, to re-establish, or to repeat (an action or statement). When you renew a lease, it means to start all over again. The verse from Romans tells to "not be conformed to this world but be transformed..." There is a renewal that needs to continually take place in our lives. The renewal is in our mind.

As I was preaching this Sunday, the Lord reminded of Colossians 3:10. Paul was talking about the believers putting on the "new man" which was a reference to their newly found life in Christ. He said that this new man was being renewed in the knowledge after the image of his Creator. This statement rocked my world. Rather than simply focus on behavioral changes, Paul was focusing on the knowledge of the image. The very image & likeness that we were created in. In other words, if you want to see a true & lasting change in your life, then your knowledge needs to be renewed in the area of image & likeness.

The Father chose, in the beginning, to create humanity with something very distinct & very unique. We would carry His image & likeness. Within the DNA of every human being was the Light of all Lights. There would always be a quality about us that was Divine in nature. Of course, the fall of Adam brought a brief interruption (if can call thousands of years brief) to that. Mankind was lost & their minds were darkened. What was once a very thriving & intimate relationship with the Creator became a religious exercise to appease a God that was distant, estranged, & separated. Jesus came to destroy this notion. He reminded us of what humanity & divinity looked like in bodily form. He came to represent the true nature of the Father & to represent the true nature of man. What was lost was found, redeemed, and we were reconciled. The faith that is called upon in the New Testament is not a faith that makes all of this true, but a faith that firmly accepts this reality.

The struggle that you are experiencing is that you have yet to distance yourself from your past. To be sure, all of us have had our failures. All of us have made our mistakes. All of us have misunderstood the nature of our Father. We lived in ignorance of what the Father has done for us, and our pride just made matters worse. However, if you want to be free from all of that stuff then you need to learn how to get your mind focused. You need to set your thoughts upon the finished work of Christ, God's declarations of who you are, and return them to the image & likeness that you were created to carry. As you begin to believe that you are God's child, your behavior will follow. As you begin to accept that you are loved unconditionally, you will stop trying to earn His love. When you fully accept that God's dealings with humanity are all wrapped up in Christ, you will discover a freedom & acceptance that you have never known. You will also begin to see yourself in a new light.

Image & likeness is not only important for how you see yourself, but how you see others. When I look out into the world now, I don't see people who are different. I see people who bear the image & likeness of our Creator. I see my brothers & sisters who have forgotten who they are or don't know the goodness of our Father. They are trapped in a vicious cycle of trying to gain His attention, failing, creating chaos in their relationships, and falling victim to the patterns of this world. Many of them have never heard the story of Father's love. But there is something deep within them that continues to tell them there is something more.

As sad as all of that sound. What is even more sad is that there are many people who claim to know the Father and yet live like orphans. They may have accepted Christ, but they have yet to repent of their ideas about God. They continue to feel inadequate, separated, and so unlike their Father. They have become the victims of religion. A religion that keeps us guessing. A religion that is wrapped up in insecurity. A mindset that elevates an Old Testament perception of God over the Abba of Jesus. These are the ones that should continually carry the love, joy, & peace of the Father. Many of them attend church every Sunday but it still doesn't ease the pain or answer the questions deep within.

The answer? Be renewed in the knowledge of the image of your Creator. This is the likeness you were meant to carry. This is the key to you being (and feeling) rightly related to the Father. At the core of your being you will discover Him. It may take some time & you will definitely have to renew your thinking over & over again. But you will experience the abundant life that Jesus promised in the process. Enjoy the journey!!!