Persistent Mind of Mine

“A surrendered mind is not one which is no longer in operation. It is, rather, a mind freed from rebellion and opposition. To be Christ's captive is to be perfectly free.”
An e xcerpt from Surrender Every Thought by Elisabeth Elliot

This is one of my weaknesses in putting everything in God’s authority. My mind is always on rebellion and opposition especially when I become critical of certain things or events. I find it hard to submit especially when I think of things as irrelevant, unfit and unhealthy. Sometimes, it really goes beyond ignoring the request of older brethren, or worse, what the Lord wants me to do. I tend to be disobedient because I depend on my rational thinking, my value judgment of what is right or wrong, overshadowing the will of the Lord.

Acknowledging that a surrendered mind is a mind freed from rebellion and opposition, searching the attitude of my heart is a must. (Heart beats wisely than the impulse of the mind, I trust). I believe that if I know what makes God happy, and what He wants me to do, even if it seems uneasy, by all means I should obey. This is to blame my forgetfulness that the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength (1 Cor. 1:25).

He knows all the best, better than my concept of excellence. I just pray that my mind be always guarded from deceptive fantasies around. Dupe me not…†

Grace That Heals

I was overwhelmed with the sharing of my churchmates about their lives and their personal journey with the Lord. If people won't understand them, they will continue to be misinterpreted and they will feel all-trampled in the ground, with nobody to lift them up. But I can see all the more the grace and glory of the Lord, when they shared their weaknesses and how they tried to stand up again. Some of them have not forgiven theirselves yet, thinking about the unimaginable charge of sin that they have committed. Yes, the consequences are visibly manifested, but one great move that they did was to open it up to people whom they can trust. They have accepted their wrongs, as everybody has, and what is important is the way they plead for the grace and mercy of the Lord. And people like them, like us, like me, who are vulnerable in sinning and committing sins need each other for comfort, encouragement, and prayers. We need all the tap, the hug, the affirmation, the rebuke, the life of others. And one awesome truth in life is that we are loved by Jesus, with His blood, death, and resurrection, that we can be healed in whatever wounds that are inflicted in our very being. You and I are loved by God. And my churchmates who are melancholically repenting for what they've done are on their toes and knees to rising up. "The grace of the Lord is sufficient for them (us)."