PURSUING MATURITY IN CHRIST FROM THE INSIDE OUT THE TWO GREAT COMMANDS. Scott A. Schade. A Yoke Ministries Bible Study

Transcription

1 PURSUING MATURITY IN CHRIST FROM THE INSIDE OUT THE TWO GREAT COMMANDS Scott A. Schade A Yoke Ministries Bible Study

2 Pursuing Maturity in Christ from the Inside out: The Two Great Commands Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise note, Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Contact us at Design of this study This study is divided into segments. The intent is for you to complete one segment each day, or one every few days. This format helps you work on and think about the material over a longer period of time which increases the likelihood of impacting your life. This study is not designed to provide a comprehensive examination of all the details of every passage relating to Christian maturity. Its purpose is to point you in the right direction and assist you in your pursuit of maturity in Christ.

3 Day 1 Introduction GOD S PROMISES NEGLECTED In 2 Corinthians 3:18 the apostle Paul tells us that we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Scripture contains many descriptions of the mature, effective and abundant life to which we are called in Christ. We read of God s intent for the church to be a body working in unison where each one uses his gifts for the building of the church. Numerous passages speak of the incredible promises and intentions of God for us his children. They describe the Lord s desire and calling for his church through the ages, and for today. God s purposes for us, while glorious, are not optional. As you read scripture imagine your own life, the lives of everyone in your family and church embracing the Lord s call and growing to maturity in Christ. The church in our day is experiencing a call for, and move toward, a more mature life of faith. Denominational barriers are being breeched as larger movements call for greater obedience to the Lord. We see an increase in devotional and Bible study material. Fresh waves of worship music are on the rise. The Lord is calling and drawing the church to growth and maturity. Christian bookstores, church libraries and Christians homes all contain a wealth of Bibles, devotional and study materials, church history books, Christian magazines, Christian fiction, worship and popular Christian music, teaching tapes and videos. Why, then, are we not considerably more mature Christians than those who came before us who had none of these benefits? Why are we not more transformed and effective than Christians of previous generations? In the face of these phenomenal blessings from the Lord, our lives too often do not display his promises. Statistically, in affluent societies, the rate of sin is little different between the church and the world. Many Christians casually pass through life as though they simply added their faith to everything else they do. We wonder why our lives do not change, and it is most likely because we have not understood the changes God intends, have not honestly desired them, and have done too little in response to his call for change. We claim to be Jesus disciples but are casual and unintentional with regard to our life in the Kingdom of God. All the while the Lord waits, longing to transform us and the world around us if we will offer all of ourselves to Him. Progress toward maturity is not only available to all of us but is required of each of us. Yoke Ministries exists to highlight God s call for maturity, our desperate need for maturity, the glory that would be ours if we devoted ourselves to growth, and God s provision which enables us to fulfill His commands. We invite you to join with us in pursuing the glorious maturity that is available to all of Christ s disciples. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 1

4 CHRISTIAN MATURITY, A DEFINITION Many passages from scripture could be used to define, clarify and show the requirement for Christian maturity. At Yoke Ministries we believe the two greatest commands, as defined by Jesus, provide not only a clear call to Christian maturity but also a concise definition of Christian maturity. Jesus isn t giving two polite suggestions in these words. He says these are the two greatest commandments, and we believe he is the ultimate authority. Living in agreement with these commands in all our activities is our most important task every moment of every day. All other teaching and guidance of scripture for our life points to and supports these commands: fruit of the Spirit, effective prayer, caring for widows and orphans, gifts of the spirit, etc. We encourage you to read scripture with the mindset that you are learning to love God and those whom he has created. Read Mark 12:30 31 and write the commands below: Christian maturity is nothing less than this: living in complete and willing obedience to these two great commands. That is, we love God with every fiber of our being and express his love to everyone else in every moment of every day. This study looks at the Lord s call to and definition of maturity. Many studies will barely scratch the surface of mining the wealth of this passage. We will spend the remainder of our lives striving to understand and grow into the life this passage describes. However, we will never make progress until we begin, and unless we intentionally begin this passage will remain beyond our reach. HOW DO WE GET THERE FROM HERE? TRANSFORMATION FROM THE INSIDE OUT There aren t many words in these commands, and we know them well enough that they are easy to repeat. However, anyone who has tried knows that they are impossible for us to accomplish. No one can obey these commands. If we could, then salvation could have been achieved through the law. All that would be needed is a simple decision or someone like a stern coach hounding you to comply. The truth is no amount of effort will accomplish the required obedience. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 2

5 Pause for a few minutes and think through your life. Honestly evaluate your own ability to express love for God and everyone he has created in every situation of life. Have you ever accomplished this in your own strength and ability? Make the exercise easier by considering only this last week, or even the last 24 hours. Fill in the missing words from Paul recorded in Romans 3:23 We have all of the glory of God. Passages such as this one and numerous others are not in the Bible simply for evangelistic purposes. They teach us that we are unable through our own efforts to fulfill his first and greatest command. A command is something we must do, but how can we obey a command that is impossible for us? How do we go from where we are today to the place where we can freely and willingly love the Lord and others? How do we start when on our own we can t get there from here? We have this command not because the Lord wants to see us fail in frustration, but because he wants us to experience the transformation he provides and to live as we were intended to live. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 15:16 20 (at right) that all our outward actions arise from within. Our obedience starts at the point where we receive Jesus and we establish a saving relationship with God through him. I cannot begin to love God...the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean. Matthew 15:18 until I first receive his love. Then, as I cooperate and am filled more and more with Christ, I am able to act as I should. Our pursuit of maturity is from the inside out, because only through Christ living within is any of this possible. We then grow by developing this relationship and permitting every part of our life to be defined by it. Jesus has promised to teach us. In Matthew 11:29 he said, Take my yoke and learn from me. Jesus classroom starts in our heart, and we learn to offer every situation of life as an expression of love to him and others. We learn by him being present with us, teaching us to express love to him in worship, service, Bible study, prayer, time with family, time alone, at work, on business trips, in traffic, in line at the grocery store, and every other situation of life. As we read at the outset of this study in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (at right) this change comes to us from the Lord. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with every increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 We cannot love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength unless we are becoming the one the Lord is transforming us to become. Jesus alone is able to provide this transformation. Jesus works and wills with, in and through each of us to this end. Only a renewed life can love him. The Lord lists his promises for us in scripture. He is serious about them, and these promises are real. This means that it is possible for us to change in ways that enable us to begin experiencing God s love, and offering love back to God and others. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 3

6 We cannot fully understand or explain the interplay and interdependence of the Lord s role and ours. Philippians 2:12 13 (at right) speaks directly to this joint effort. It is ultimately his work in and through us, but if we do not by attitude, intent and action passionately and constantly place ourselves where we can receive from him then we simply will not. The greatest joy awaits us if we will pay the price of making the effort of denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following him (Luke 9:23). You can trust the...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:12 13 Lord s very great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4). He wants to change us to live lives growing toward maturity. At Yoke Ministries we believe an intentional focus on maturity as defined by Jesus would provide us with lives lived as the Lord desires. Today s scripture memory: Mark 12:30 31, 2 Corinthians 3:18 Day 2 Life-Long Commitment RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE We give our energies, thoughts, time and emotions to what we feel is important. We ll devote 4 years and more of study for a college degree in hopes of a particular career after graduation. We ll work diligently for decades in hope that one day we will be able to retire. An athlete or musician will study and practice for countless hours in preparation for even one event or performance. As important as these are, they fade into insignificance compared with our loving God and everyone he has created, with our being formed in the image of Jesus, and ultimately with our complete salvation. Therefore, let us pay attention to the author of Hebrews who tells us in Hebrews 12:1 (please fill in the blanks):...let us everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us the race marked out before us. Our eternal life depends on our accepting this and living this way. We need to be intentional with regard to our life of faith. This love is not half-hearted, nor will it simply fall on us without our continual desire and cooperation. Every action, thought, word, purpose, dream, and even our own sense of identity should be molded in agreement with this command of God. Be relentless, and yet be patient. The journey will take the remainder of your life and will only be complete in heaven. Progress takes place one step at a time. Hard work is required, but the benefit is a transformed life. We can, and should, be like the apostle Paul and press on and forward as described in the passage listed below. Complete the blanks: Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 4

7 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12 14 The classic disciplines of the Christian life are of indescribable benefit here. They help prepare us for our growth in faith, and they are also a part of our progress toward maturity. Bible study, dwelling on scripture, prayer, worship, service, fellowship, fasting, solitude, and so on are both acts of faith and preparation in our fulfilling the two great commands. They are involved at every step of our fulfilling the commands. The Lord even gifts us to help one another in this growth. Take a moment to conduct a brief personal inventory. What long term habits have you established in order to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of you (in heart, soul, mind, strength, and relations with others)? You can easily conduct another personal inventory that examines the habits and tendencies that remain which hinder your growth. However, if you honestly complete the list above, every area not listed is one that needs to be added to the list of barriers to your growth. BE AWARE THAT WE ALL FALL... Don t be discouraged if the journey is not easy for you, that it doesn t seem to come naturally. One purpose of the journey is to bring you to the point where a life with God does come naturally. Our nature without God would not live this way and fights against our efforts as scripture teaches us (Romans 8:5 8, Galatians 5:17). I hate to mention this, but the reality is that growing toward maturity is not all easy. You will stumble and fall. James tells us in James 3:2, that we all stumble in many ways. When you do, you need to get up, seek the Lord and move prayerfully forward. You will need to seek the Lord s forgiveness, forgiveness from others as well as forgive yourself and others. Take a long range view of your growth. Be willing and committed to try again and again and again. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 5

8 The doctor, athlete, musician did not automatically pick up their craft, and their task does not even involve setting aside an old nature. The Lord dwells within you through his Holy Spirit, and his purpose is for your transformation and ultimate salvation. He will work patiently with you while this becomes your desire. During the process you will find your old self, its desires and thoughts will not always easily be changed. However, they will be changed under the Lord s hand. Today s scripture memory: Philippians 3:12 14 Day 3 A Closer Look at the Commands LOVE It is essential for us to read scripture with our minds ready to hear what is actually said. Watching many Christians approach their Christian life you would think they were following a different command than the one Jesus gave. The command does not first dictate specific actions, but love. Actions arise out of love. In 1 John 5:3 the apostle John tells us This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome. These commands do not establish some new legalism. They call for a reorientation of our entire lives in line with God and his way through Jesus. Listen to 1 John 4:19: We love because he first loved us. Fill in the blanks from Romans 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. The love did not originate with us. It is the Lord s love that we receive, and it is through his love that we are able to return love to him and others. Christian growth is an expression of love in a relationship with God, and that relationship itself defines salvation. In John 17:3 we hear Jesus defining salvation as first a relationship with God through Christ rather than compliance with a sequence of laws. Everything we do, say, think and feel impacts and expresses this relationship and so impacts the growth in our maturity in Christ. This is why the greatest command is to love God with every fiber of our being. Only a loving relationship with God can accomplish the change we so desperately need. Our assumption is that you have already understood this and established this saving relationship with the Lord. Everything we do after this is an expression of our intentionally devoting ourselves to growing in love in each area detailed in the commands. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 6

9 ALL, NOT PART Read Mark 12:30 31 again and complete the blanks. We are called to love the Lord with of our heart, of our soul, of our mind, and of our strength; and our neighbor. As we look at our own Christian growth, we can describe it in terms of these five categories. In very broad brush strokes which address the primary parts of life, Jesus says our goal is to love him completely and totally with every part of our person. The Lord does not give us the option of selecting which portion of our life we would prefer to specialize in loving him. We are called to love him and all that he has created with every fiber of our being. Anything less falls short of God s definition of and purpose for life. These pieces do not exist by themselves. Maturity is the combination and interplay of our heart, soul, mind and strength expressing love for God as well as our relationship with others. Leave one out and that part of your life is excluded from your faith and growth. We need to express love with all facets in a balanced manner. If we do not, then our growth will be crippled. These interrelated and interdependent facets support each other s growth. The development of our mind feeds the growth of our soul and heart, directs our strength, and instructs us in relating to others. In 1 Corinthians 8:1 the apostle Paul tells us Knowledge puffs up, but loves builds up. Knowledge by itself, for example, can lead to egotism. Knowledge is a blessing, but it should be moderated by our heart, spirit and given joyfully to others through our strength. Can you identify what you are doing in each of these parts of your life that enables you to love the Lord? Today s scripture memory: Romans 5:5 Day 4 With all your Heart LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART... When we find that right person to be our husband or wife we begin to learn what it means to love from the heart. As time passes and the two lives become one, our ability to love from the heart increases. The arrival and growth of children deepens the love in our hearts. Words are inadequate to express this love, but we still try. Actions are inadequate to express this love, but we still try. Such love is expressed quite clearly in young children. When a young child sees a parent, grandparent or anyone else they love, their eyes light up and they run and fling themselves into their arms. We each have relationships like this where we understand the heart s involvement. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 7

10 Before we became Christians we were God s enemies (Romans 5:10, Colossians 1:21). When we became Christians we established a loving relationship with him. Unfortunately, we have never had the actual experience of this loving relationship with God in our daily lives. We are accustomed to selfishness, anger, greed and hate. Our hearts have been enemies of God for so long that even when we become Christians we need to learn how to live lives of love. Scripture instructs us in very clear terms to set aside our old lives and live new lives. (Romans 8:12 15, Romans 12:1 2, Galatians 5:16 26) The Psalmist says, As the deer longs for flowing streams so my heart longs for you. (Psalm 42:1) This isn t a dry and boring phrase. The Psalmist longs for God from the depths of his heart. We are learning to love him with our passions and desires. In all we do we do it passionately. We passionately offer our lives to the Lord. We passionately live for him. We passionately seek his will and way. Does your life express such a longing for God? Matthew 15:18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean. Our heart is the home of our emotions, passions and desires. Scripture speaks in this way in many passages. What we do and say is born out of our hearts. In modern terms, it is out of our hearts that road rage, corporate theft, embezzlement, tax evasion, cheating on your spouse, and so forth all come. Our automatic responses come out of what has been established in our hearts. Our hearts have been conformed to sinful desires, and as a result transformation must take place in the heart. This is true of everyone. Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. In a brilliant statement, Jesus turns the phrase around and gives us a way to examine our heart s focus. What do we treasure and value? Examine what you treasure, Jesus says, and you will know the focus of your heart. We are passionately and emotionally, and as a result physically, involved in: family, sports, music, etc. Some even, unfortunately, treasure sinful behavior. We need to treasure what the Lord treasures. Hebrews 8:10 I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Our heart drives our life. Unfortunately, without Jesus our heart is driving us to eternal death. The Lord gives us a new heart as part of our establishing a relationship with him. We need to permit him to mold the way we feel, respond and act. To love him with all of our heart is to passionately desire his will and way; to have our hearts cleansed of all sin so we can love freely as he desires; to be filled with his love and Spirit which he has poured out into our hearts. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 8

11 Prayerfully read these passages: Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Matthew 12:34 out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Mark 7:21 23 For from within, out of men s hearts, come evil thoughts, All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean. Romans 2:29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Romans 10:10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Galatians 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out Abba, Father. Ephesians 3:17 So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Colossians 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, 1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Prayer focus: Fill me with your love. May everything I do, say, think and feel rise out of your love in my heart. May I not live a life tossed to and fro by conflicting emotions. May my passion for your will and way be stronger in my life than my passions for the world. I give you my life and heart. May your passions form mine, and may I love you every hour of every day. Action items: Conduct a personal check-up. A heart self-check-up is relatively easy to perform. Suppose you have a few extra hours to do whatever you want. The question is not what you think you should do, but what would you actually want to do? Would you sleep, build something, go fishing, exercise, or do something you would prefer to hide from others? Many of the selections you would make are legitimate, while others would be sinful. However, such a question helps display the desires of your heart. In thinking about this, would you consider any actions that enable you to receive God s love, express love to God and others whom you encounter? Monitor your passions and desires as you work, rest, drive, play, eat, worship, etc. Seek out more mature Christians who display the heart changes that scripture describes. Ask them to assist you in your journey. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 9

12 Be intentional about giving yourself to God. Imagine what your life of faith would be like if your heart was filled with love for God. Now pray and live that way. Memorize and brew on scripture passages such as those listed above which speak of the changes that must take place in our hearts that the Lord has promised to establish. Understand that the Lord is competent and capable to establish this within you. Then, imagine yourself changed in line with the Lord s promises. Study, pray and act so that you will become one who loves God with his whole heart. List the passage you plan to memorize from this day s study: Day 5 With all your Soul LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR SOUL... Loving God with our soul is more difficult to grasp. The soul is an aspect of ourselves we do not often discuss or study. When God created man, he breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul. There is only one part of all of creation into which God breathed the breath of life, and that is us. This means that man has a different kind of life than the rest of creation. We were born not only with a life in the flesh, but also with an eternal identity, life, soul, from God. Our soul represents this eternal person and identity we received from God. As Christians we cannot love out of who we were without the Lord. We can only love out of who we are in Christ. Therefore, one of our greatest needs once we become Christians is to learn and enter into our new identity. Unless you learn who you are in Christ, you will never experience the transformation that the Lord has in store for you. It is only as our entire person takes on the new character, identity, from God that our responses to life become more naturally like God intends them to be and we are able to love. We will never begin to experience the transformation God offers us until we accept our old identity as dead and accept the reality that God has a new identity for us in Christ. Scripture speaks more about our identity in Christ than it does about the nature of the soul. Let s examine a few passages of scripture which describe our identity in Christ. Bear in mind as you do so that these passages are actually describing your identity in Christ. To love him with all of our soul is to be who we were created to be and offer every moment in that way to him. Ephesians 2:1 5 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 10

13 Before becoming Christians we were eternally dead, but now in the Lord we have life. This new life is established through our relationship with God through Jesus. In order to grow we need to understand and cling to this truth. Jesus succinctly told us that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. John 3:3 Romans 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Our growing into our new identity in Christ is not only dependent on our studying scripture to learn about our new life, but equally on our believing what we learn. In accepting what we read we then need to live convinced that his word is true in our lives. Therefore, let us consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. Ephesians 4:22 24 put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Everyone s identity, person, has been formed by their DNA, family, experiences, etc. God desires to reform our life and identity. A transformed life is much more important for us than simply learning to act correctly. We turn to scripture to learn how the Lord defines our identity in Christ. As we learn this, we then work to permit him to develop this in our lives. If we truly knew who we are in Christ it would change everything we do, think, feel, etc. We seek him to define and transform our identity. We learn to love him with our identity. In this passage Paul tells us our lives will never change until we are in agreement with God. Prayerfully read these passages: Matthew 16:25 26 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Galatians 5:16 So I say to you live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Colossians 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. Ephesians 2:19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God s people and members of God s household, Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. 1 Peter 2: 9 11 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 11

14 now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Prayer focus: May I love you with everything I am. May I understand the new creation you are calling me to be in Christ, and the specific changes you are establishing in my life. May I see, accept, embrace and permit all of my thoughts and words and actions to be molded by my new identity in Christ. May I become the person you want me to be. Action items: Study scripture to understand your identity in Christ. Devote time to reading the word in order to learn who you are in Christ and who others are. Memorize and brew on scripture passages such as those listed above which speak of our identity in Christ that the Lord has promised. Understand that the Lord is competent and capable to establish this within you. Understand, accept and alter your life around the fact that you now have an eternal life hidden with God in Christ and your identity is formed by him. Seek out more mature Christians who have an understanding of who they are in Christ. Ask them to assist you in your journey. Understand, accept and alter your life around the fact that you now have an eternal life hidden with God in Christ and your identity is formed by him. Consider what would our lives be like if we actually believed that we had a new identity in Christ, and that the Lord intended us to grow into it? Would we be so caught in the grip of habitual sin, sluggish in our growth, stale in our love if we truly knew who we were in Christ? Stop and consider what your life, your family, your small group, your church would all be like if you and others truly believed that in Christ you had a new identity that is defined in scripture and established by the Lord s work within? Study, pray and act so that you will become one who loves God with his whole soul. List the passage you plan to memorize from this day s study: Day 6 With all your Mind LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR MIND... Our minds are constantly filled with thoughts. Some of these thoughts are good, some not good and some are random that make little sense to us. Our minds are even active while we re asleep. Our mind is more than just a place to store information. Our mind is Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 12

15 the home of our thoughts, understanding, presuppositions, decisions, world view, and the filters we use to interpret the world and everything and everyone we see and encounter including ourselves. But how do we love with our mind? I love my wife, but how do I love her with my mind? I think about her, think about ways to help and please her. I even remember things that do not please her and I then avoid them. As time passes I learn more about her. I make it a point not to think about other women in ways that do not honor my wife. These are all acts of love and hint at an explanation. We learn to love God with our mind in a similar way. Our thinking and perception are warped by the world in which we live, and we need to have this understanding and perception completely changed and altered by means of the living Word of God. We turn to scripture to learn about Jesus and we seek the Lord to train us. As a specific example of how our minds are warped by the world around us consider the term father. God wants us to understand that he is our Father in heaven. He is perfect, loving and true. He is the one who defines father. Yet none of us grew up in a home where our own fathers perfectly displayed God as our father. Those of us who are fathers also fail. Television shows, music and popular culture all downplay the role and value of a father. When we think of God as our Father we tend to then understand him in light of the warped image we received from the world. Therefore, it is essential we turn to the Lord himself and learn how to think rather than continuing with this crippled perception. He will make straight our crooked thoughts. In doing this those of us who are fathers will be better able to live as those displaying the heart of God who is Father. We look to the Lord to transform our minds so that we might think, perceive and interpret according to his understanding. Scripture encourages and challenges us by speaking directly to how we fill and use our minds. Understand, accept and adopt his mind as your own. We see in scriptural descriptions that God offers transformation and that it is required for our salvation. We read in the same passages that we must want and receive this transformation. We have the responsibility to live according to what the Lord is providing. Romans 8:5 7 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God s law, nor can it do so. We each face an option. It is whether we will, or will not, learn and set our minds on what the Spirit desires. This is a conscious effort on our part to learn and think about that kind of life described by the phrase those who live in accord with the Spirit. Ephesians 4:22 24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 13

16 God in true righteousness and holiness. Once again, Paul tells us to put on our new self. This is a conscious decision and action on our part and involves, as Paul says, our minds being made new. Colossians 3:1 3 Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Paul teaches here in his letter to the Colossians to set our minds on things above. This means that we have a choice. The term things above refers to God s will and way. Pay attention to what your mind thinks about, from intentional thoughts to daydreams, and even your dreams in the night. Would you say your mind is set on things where Christ is? This scripture teaches that it is possible for us live with our minds focused on things above. Prayerfully read these passages: Romans 12:1 2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 8:10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (This passage expresses the promise of God that is ours in Christ that was prophesied many years ago Jeremiah 31:31) 1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; Prayer focus: May I love you with all of my mind. May I grow in having the mind of my Lord Jesus and understanding your will and way. May my understanding not be formed by the world around me but by your word. Action items: Fill your mind with scripture. There are many ways you can fill your mind with scripture. Read scripture regularly and write specific passages (especially ones which address your particular areas of need for growth) and place them in prominent places. Develop the habit of regularly reading scripture with the goal to training your understanding. Discipline your thinking. Seek out more mature Christians who have an understanding of God s word and who display wisdom in life. Ask them to assist you in your journey. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 14

17 Memorize and brew on scripture passages such as those listed above which speak of the changes that must take place in our minds that the Lord has promised to establish. Understand that the Lord is competent and capable to establish this within you. Then, imagine your mind changed. Work to permit his thoughts and thought processes to form ours. This must be an intentional effort. Scripture instructs us to do this. Study, pray and act so that you will become one who loves God with his whole mind. List the passage you plan to memorize from this day s study: Day 7 With all your Strength LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH... Our strength is our own personal action that arises from our desires, commitments and identity. Understanding how to love with our strength is easier to grasp because in our strength we do things. We think of expressing love to another through our actions. However, understanding loving God in our strength can also be confusing since we assume we know how to accomplish things. As a result, many run off in their own strength and attempt to accomplish God s work. Strength is a follower. It follows the heart, soul and mind and acts out their desires and commitments whether we are dead without Jesus or alive in him. We do not live a holy life on our own or in our own strength. As we mentioned earlier, if we could obey in our strength then the law would be adequate. We must first be changed by the Lord, and then we will receive from him the strength that enables us to live as he directs and be capable of loving him. Our strength, then, must also be transformed by the Lord. Our strength is where we personally live out our faith. We believe, and then we choose to put that faith into action. To love him with our strength is to fully offer ourselves to him. Yet it is also to permit him to work through us for the strength is his. Romans 8:13 14 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. The strength we have to accomplish things is of no value unless we are exerting it under the Lord s direction. This passage is not just a warning, but also a promise that we can accomplish God s purposes in our lives if we live by his direction. If we decide to live by our own direction, and in our own strength, then we will never receive the life the Lord describes in scripture, and as Paul says all we will receive as a result is death. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 15

18 Romans 12:1 2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. This is an intentional act. We as Christians have the option of continuing to conform to the world s way, or of offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. Our lives then become acts of worship where we demonstrate in our own life that God s will is perfect and delightful. This isn t something we do once. Since our old self tends to want to conform to the world s way, we need to continually offer this worship to God. 1 Corinthians 9:27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. In order to insure we do not think this process is simple or treat it flippantly the apostle Paul tells us of his own continual effort to maintain his focus on God. Our sinful nature, as scripture calls it, will fight against our desire to live for God. We need to expend effort to fight for God s cause in our lives. Philippians 2:12 13 continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Paul s encouragement on the surface might look as though our own effort are the first concern. However, as Paul instructs us here our work comes because of God s work in us. The Lord s desires and work within us are more important than our action. Our action comes in response to his. Prayerfully read these passages: Psalm 127:1a Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son does. Ephesians 3:16 17a I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ ay dwell in your hearts through faith. Philippians 4:12 13 I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 1 Peter 1:14 16 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 16

19 1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. Prayer focus: May I love you with my strength. May I not use my strength chasing the world s dreams and purpose, but yours. Help me to understand that my efforts can and should be used for your glory. Action items: Consider what it means to love him with our whole strength. Seek out more mature Christians who demonstrate an ability to love the Lord in their actions. Ask them to assist you in your journey. Understand, adopt and accept that you embrace his way through your actions and commitment. What are you doing that expresses your love and commitment to him? Your gifts come into play at this point. Gifts are tools to express our love for the Lord and others, and lead others in growing in loving the Lord better or for the first time. Faith directs us to act, to live out our convictions and hopes from the Lord. What is it you sense that the Lord would like to accomplish in and through you? Study, pray and act so that you will become one who loves God with his whole strength. List the passage you plan to memorize from this day s study: Day 8 Neighbor LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF The way we treat others displays our opinion of the pinnacle of God s creation. Every person is created in the image of God and is loved by God. God s desire is that everyone would turn to him. When we are filled with his love, we will treat others with the love that he has for them. No matter what the situation try viewing others as ones for whom Christ died. If God s will has all along been to save everyone, and it is, then every individual has been created with this purpose in mind. The greatest tragedy is when an individual chooses not to Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 17

20 accept this goal for their life. Equally great is when we do not also desire it for everyone. The angels in heaven rejoice even when one sinner repents. The reason is that when this happens the pinnacle of God s creation accepts its destiny and purpose. Read 1 Corinthians 8:11 and Romans 14:15. What is the value of any individual? They are one for whom Christ died. Even our enemy is one for whom Christ died. We learn to love others with the Lord s own love. Only when we see them as the Lord does are we able to honestly love them. Once we understand our own identity in Christ we can easily see why we are commanded to love our neighbor since they are another who is also uniquely created to express love for God and all that he has created. John 13:34 35 A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. Jesus says our love for others displays whether we are his disciples or not. We reject the Lord when we do not love others. 2 Corinthians 5:16 17 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! Since we are Christians we do not regard or make decisions about anyone by means of the world s standards. This is how we looked at and judged others before we were Christians, but as Christians we no longer live this way. That means we do not offer or withhold God s love to anyone based on distinctions such as whether they are old or young, beautiful or not (as defined by popular culture), healthy or sick, clean or dirty, celebrity or unknown. Neither can we determine someone s value by their education, ethnic background, social status, political affiliation, profession, possessions, level of sinfulness, and more. When we look at any other person we do so with the Lord s eyes, based on the value they receive from God. 1 John 4:8, Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love., If anyone says, I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: whoever loves God must also love his brother. No matter what we say, or how loudly we proclaim our faith, our refusal to love shows we have rejected the Lord and his way. The world limits those to whom it is willing to offer love, and this love is generally selfish even when it is given. God s love is expressed to every individual. His love has the same goal in mind for each individual, their salvation. Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 18

21 Prayerfully read these passages: Mathew 5:43 44 You have heard that it was said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you John 15:17 This is my command: love each other. Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. Colossians 3:12 14 Therefore, as God s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. James 4:12 who are you to judge your neighbor? 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. 1 John 2:9 11 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him. Prayer focus: May I have your mind, heart and eyes for others. When I see another person may my reaction be to love them as you do. Action: When you see other people you will be tempted to make decisions about them based on the world s standards, particularly their appearance. Make a conscious effort not to do so. This commitment is expressed in those places and situation where you encounter others. Develop a habit that when you see another person you pray for them and ask the Lord to enable you to love them and see them as he does. As you interact with others pray that the Lord would guide you to act in ways that display his love. Seek out more mature Christians who display God s heart in their dealing with others. Ask them to assist you in your journey. Every action and word of Jesus was an offering of love. Study his life from the Gospels. Locate, memorize and brew on passages which speak of the changes that must take place in our hearts that the Lord has promised to establish. Understand that the Lord is competent and capable to establish this within you. Then, imagine yourself changed. Study, pray and act so that you will become one who loves others with God s love. List the passage you plan to memorize from this day s study: Copyright 2006 by Scott A. Schade. Page 19