Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. (Rom. 8:5)
Expanded Passage: Romans 8:5-8
For a couple weeks our tap water became browner each day. We continued to wash our clothes in that water, bathe in it, and even drink it (after it had been filtered). When the water became full of chunks and started looking worse, we stopped using it, unsure of what to do since we obviously required water for daily needs. Weeks later, a neighbor informed us of our landlord’s previous choice to save money by continuing to use old free water lines, causing us to use polluted water.
While this may seem unthinkable to many of us, how many times do we figuratively make a similar choice? How often do we allow condemning, negative, or impure thoughts to permeate our thinking when God wants to renew our minds through the power of his Spirit? How often do we watch a TV show or movie or read a book which has content that pollutes our minds? While God wants us to spend some time with those who do not believe like us, do we sometimes spend too much time with them and not enough with those who understand God’s truth and can build us up in our faith? Also, do we spend enough time reading and soaking in God’s Word to be able to live according to his truth and spirit?
Take time to saturate your mind with God-pleasing thoughts.
Caryl Aukerman is a wife and mother of three and has served with Global Partners for over seventeen years as a missionary in the country of Albania.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
