“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Philippians 4:9 (NIV)
The disposition of our mind and thoughts are reflective of the deeper beliefs that underpin and sculpt our thought life.
I don’t know about you but sometimes I forget that Jesus didn’t just come to this earth at the behest of Father God and was crucified on a cross to receive humanity’s many sinful behaviours, sicknesses, and deep painful interactions and experiences. He also came to bring healing and restoration to the faulty, destructive, and unhealthy beliefs that we have carried and may still carry about ourselves, others and most importantly, God that were a legacy of the fall of humanity in Genesis (Genesis 3).
Does your thought life need a shift in focus today?
Jesus settled forever at the cross and in rising from the dead any question over the nature of God’s heart for us and it is where our value to our God is most clearly and powerfully seen.
Irrespective of what we have done, or however underserving we feel, have been given the right to be Children of God and are accepted in the beloved fellowship of God as the Bible proclaims (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:6 NKJV). A right not earned but 100% bought at a price and oh what a price (See 1 Corinthians 6:20) that had to be paid and was paid in full. Bottom line, to God, you were worth Christ given in exchange for you and me. This should underline how much we each matter to God.
Meditate on this for a moment. Is this a far cry from the inner beliefs and thoughts that dominate your thinking?
In the synagogue in Nazareth Jesus proclaimed as part of his mission to fulfil the following words of the prophet Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…”
Isaiah 61:1 (NIV)
Do you see the essence of God’s heart in Jesus’ mission on earth that culminated in his death and resurrection on the cross? For those who have had their hearts broken at the hands of others, their own actions or by the trials or circumstances of life and which in turn have impacted upon what they believe about themselves, others and God, Jesus comes to bind up those wounds deep within.
For those of us trapped or held captive to patterns of thinking that don’t line up with who we are in Christ or how God sees us, Jesus comes to proclaim or speak freedom to demolish such strongholds. He renews our minds by washing them in the encouragement and truth of God’s word and through others speaking and sowing words of love and truth into us.
Finally, if we are prisoners to the beliefs that have become entrenched within us or spiritual bondage to the darkness of depression or ungodly thinking, Jesus desires to release us as he proclaims from such darkness. He comes as the Good Shepherd and holds his hands open as a father. He is the light that does not go out and transforms what lies in darkness into glorious day bringing life, healing and wholeness.
Such wonderful reflections illuminate the unveiled beauty of our saviours’ love for each of us and God’s heart to see you walk in freedom in every way, right down to the roots of what you believe and meditate on. How wonderful to see such care in the heart of our God. Praise his wonderful name and goodness.
© 2022, B. Trowbridge.
Abba's Dearly Beloved 