the mind of Christ

Good morning friends,
Today's reading from Paul is challenging. The essence of the reading is what God is doing in us through the Holy Spirit. He says that people can only know what it means to be truly human because of the human spirit inside them. That means that all people can figure out human nature if we spend the time and attention to get in touch with our spirit. Christians still have that human spirit, but we also have the Holy Spirit from God. It's as if God gives us a partial "spirit transplant" by putting some of the Spirit of God into us. Because of that new Spirit, not only can we get in touch with our true humanity by paying attention to the human spirit inside us, we can also get in touch with who God is and what God wants by paying attention to the Holy Spirit inside us.

Paul continues the same line of thought in terms of spiritual gifts, because God gives gifts to all of us. Here we see that not only Christians, but all people have gifts of the Spirit. The thing is, without paying respectful attention to the Spirit of God inside us, we can't receive those gifts because we won't understand what's going on. Also, by paying attention to the Spirit of God inside us and seeking to obey God's will we grow in that Spirit and become more spiritually mature. We also start to become more like Christ, developing Christ's mind, as Paul says. So spend some time getting in touch with God's Spirit inside you. Let the Spirit shape you and guide you, and God will make you more like Jesus.

God bless,
Sam


1 Corinthians 2:8-16

8None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.


13And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. 14Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny. 16“For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.