Think About Your Thinking: Abide in Christ and Grow

``How does he make this change within me? Well, the same way he does in most things, slowly and gently. The Holy Spirit doesn't force, doesn't barge in. He uses his word that reveals Christ to us to show me who Christ is and what his kingdom looks and sounds like. He uses wise people in my life to remind me who Christ is and what his kingdom looks and sounds like. [00:48:30] (36 seconds)  #SlowGentleTransformation

turning our heads towards Jesus, steering towards him is radical, and it responds with radical acts. But it has to be something we choose and move towards. Danielle Strickland, who is a fabulous teacher and has worked for decades with the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, and bringing justice, says this, being submitted to God means being unsubmitted to anything that is not God. Turning our heads towards Jesus means turning our heads away from all those things that aren't Jesus. [00:57:45] (48 seconds)  #TurnTowardJesus

I remember thinking to myself at one point, this is taking a really long time. Years and years and years and years and years for my thinking to catch up to my desires. Why was this? Why did I have the desire to be like Christ, and yet, I didn't have thinking that was becoming like Christ? My thinking was almost a 100% Christie all the time. I thought about Jesus a lot, but was my thinking like Jesus? I read about Jesus a lot, but was my thinking like Jesus? [00:45:26] (41 seconds)  #ThinkingTakesTime

All good things, but I had to think about my thinking really often over this week, really often. I had to pray for the grace of patience and gentleness and kindness. I had to ask Holy Spirit often for wisdom, for good time management. I had to bring scripture to mind to remind me of how Christ thinks and what his kingdom looks and sounds like. I had to hold my tongue, not because my family are particularly frustrating, but because my thinking is so often Christie and not Christ. [00:51:04] (36 seconds)  #PracticeChristLikeThinking

How do you think about your thinking? How have you this week? You know, the word meditate pops up over 20 times in scripture, mostly in the Psalms, and it means to think about, to ponder on, to set your mind to, meditate on God's word, and ask the holy spirit, the mind of Christ, to help you think about your thinking. [00:52:32] (28 seconds)  #MeditateOnGodsWord

And then I go back to Mary and Martha. Jesus said, this is better. This should be your number one. Martha was at number two or number three or number 19, getting lunch ready. Right? Serving, yes. Being diligent, yes. Absolutely. But not number one. And he said, Martha, think about your thinking. Make me number one. Turn your head to me first, and everything else will follow. Lunch will take care of itself. If I choose to make and give Jesus my full attention, it means that Christ thinking should replace Christie thinking in all sorts of areas of my life. [01:00:48] (52 seconds)  #MakeJesusFirst

Has your thinking changed since Winnie led us in that poem and in communion? The apostle Paul, who wrote Ephesians, encourages us to be made new in the attitude of our mind. And to do this, we must grow up in every way into Christ who is the head. We must become more like him. Simple. Right? Simple? Maybe not. [00:43:03] (28 seconds)  #RenewYourMindInChrist

That's why we're talking about growing in January Because we wanna do that. We wanna knit together with you, with you online, with new people that come to know Jesus. We wanna build this family, this body who will bring thriving and goodness to us and all those who hear the message. That's why we're here. We've taken a bit from John 15 that we are the vine who is enlivened and growing in Jesus who's the branch, and together we make good fruit that we get to enjoy and others get to enjoy. Right? [00:39:19] (43 seconds)  #AliveInTheVine