Letting God Renew My Mind

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” -Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Perhaps you have memorized this verse already in the King James Version which reads like this: “And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” This is set in the context of Paul’s strong appeal to Christians to follow Christ wholly and completely: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable, unto God which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1, KJV).

Proverbs 23:7 declares: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Our manner of life is shaped by our thoughts. If we think positively, we will seek to live a solid, hopeful life. As a Christian, if our mind is stayed on Christ, we will seek His teachings and His ways to follow. We can be conformed to the world, or we can be transformed by the power of Christ to live a victorious life. The choice is always ours. As a Christian, we determine not to let the world squeeze us into its mold of selfishness, waywardness and sin. Instead, we seek what is holy, acceptable and good according to the will of God.

Letting God renew my mind is a daily, serious pursuit. “What would God have me do?” is a daily question, a thought process throughout each day. It means saying no to selfish pursuits and sinful pleasures. It means staying close to the Lord in thought and prayer.

Renewal of mind according to God’s way is to love the Lord God with all the heart, soul and mind (Mathew 22:37). This includes every aspect of one’s make-up. The mind, heart and soul are stayed on God. Sincere and diligent spiritual discipline is required. Indeed, we will fall. But we confess and turn from the wrong way. God is faithful to forgive and to restore.

Dr. James M. Boice, a noted Bible scholar and seminary teacher of the last century advised that “Transformation happens by the renewing of our minds, and the way our minds become renewed is by the study of the life-giving and renewing Word of God”

Happiness and spiritual victory come through the renewing of the mind in the Word of God. His way is always best for us. Let us seek it diligently and bathe our pathway in prayer.

-Ethelene Dyer Jones 02.26.2017

Creator God Knows Each of Us

“A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth.”- Ecclesiastes 7:1 (ESV)

To be known and loved by God who created each of us is an assurance almost beyond comprehension. But God knows each of us, His children, and calls us by name. I share today an original poem:

God Knows My Name

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name, for you are Mine.” -Isaiah 43:1.

“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” – Isaiah 49:16a.

“Thou shalt be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name.” -Isaiah 62:2b (KJV)

Astounding knowledge, God knows my name!

Creator of the Universe, forever the same:

Maker of galaxies, Lord of the sea,

Sustainer of all things knows even me!

Before the world was He knew my frame;

Knew when I would live, gave me a name.

Underneath to protect me His everlasting arm;

He loves me, directs me, secures me from harm.

One day in eternity my new name I’ll bear,

Called by my Savior in tones sweet and clear;

“Come,” He will say, “Golden streets walk down.

Adore God the Father, receive your own crown!”

Matchless the majesty, the paeans of praise

As that new name I’ll bear through unnumbered days.

While on earth may I travel as one with a claim

To enter His Kingdom and receive my new name!

--Ethelene Dyer Jones

(I composed this poem October 11, 1996 and since have shared it with many. The most recent sharing [besides today’s] was in the Memorial Service program folder for dear friend Wilbur Dalton Smith [August 21, 1925-February 13, 2017] on Friday, February 17, 2017 in a “Celebration of Life” service at First Baptist Church, Illegible, Ga. Praise God, he rests in peace because his faith was firmly anchored in the Lord. Selah!) - Ethelene Dyer Jones 02.19.2017

Letting Go of Regrets

“I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” -Philippians 4:11b.

Writing from prison after having been on many missionary journeys, spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, and starting churches in many places, Paul the Apostle was facing inevitable death as a martyr. But his outlook remained positive and his encouragement to Christians in the many churches through his letters (that were subsequently passed on to us in our Bible) encourage believers to live a positive and useful life in the Lord.

If we can learn to deal with regrets and move forward, we have learned a very important life lesson. Disappointments and hardships are inevitable. How we deal with them makes the difference between defeated and victorious living. On a rainy morning, when I awake early and hear rain upon the roof I think of the beauty and benefits of rain, not of the clouds and dreariness of a rainy day. Thinking of the benefits of rain, we know that it provides moisture for dry soil,

How often we liken troubles, regrets and disappointments to rain. Yet think of the benefits of rain: it provides moisture for dry soil, water for thirsty plants and animals, and water for our human consumption and needs. Considering the benefits of rain makes a rainy day a pleasant experience.

American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) penned the words, "Into each life some rain must fall.” But in our effort to use metaphors to describe our pain, we often think of rain as a symbol of suffering and regret. You may remember Ella Fitzgerald, singer, and "The Ink Spots" who used Longfellow's line in the song popular several years ago: "Into each life some rain must fall/But too much is falling in mine;/Into each heart some tears must fall/But someday the sun will shine."

The time comes when we must move forward from regrets instead of being weighted down by them. We think of the positive qualities of rain (and of troubles) and "learn to dance in the rain," as Vivian Green urges us.

C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), writer and theologian, noted: "We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, 'Blessed are they that mourn' " (Matthew 5:4).

The Serenity Prayer attributed to American theologian Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971), and slightly adapted for Alcoholics Anonymous use, has good advice for moving from regrets to victorious living. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other." (The ending is often offered as "and the wisdom to know the difference.").

Paul the Apostle had the idea of moving through regrets to victorious living when he wrote, "I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Philippians 4:11b). Troubles, sorrows, illnesses and setbacks come. God is our very present help in trouble. We read and rejoice in the words of Jesus: “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1).

The rain makes a beautiful sound upon the roof. I listen and take opportunity to adore God who gifts us with rain--and sees us through the "rainy days of trouble." I say in all sincerity, "This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). - Ethelene Dyer Jones 02.12.2017

Confidence in Prayer

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” -1 John 5:13-15 (ESV)

The verse to memorize for today from our focal scripture is John 5:14 which reads in the New King James Version: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” In yesterday’s verse, Hebrews 4:16, we learned that we can put our trust in a Great High Priest, in Jesus Christ our Lord, in whom we have genuine confidence and who makes intercession for us before the Father. Bearing that in mind, in today’s focal verses, John states that we can know we have eternal life in Him. And, knowing that, we can ask anything according to His will and He hears us. Furthermore, knowing that He hears us, we can make our requests to Him and He will answer us.

What is prayer? I want to deliberately be repetitious in this explication to help us remember the truth of these verses, and especially 1 John 5:14, our memory verse for today. First of all, prayer is coming before the Son of God, our Savior. Prayer is coming before Him with genuine confidence. Prayer is coming before Him with confidence and asking according to His will. Prayer is coming before Him with confidence and asking according to His will, knowing that He hears us and answers us. To reiterate: We must first come to Him, with confidence, ask of him, ask according to His will, and know (believe) that He will answer. The same John who wrote the letters of John also wrote the gospel of John. In John 14:14 he wrote the words of Jesus: “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (NKJV). In the letter, John added “according to His will” to help believers understand that any blanket list of wants would have to be under the scrutiny of the Lord’s will. In our own unregenerate, bound-by-sin ways, we often pray for what is not within the parameters of what is the Lord’s will for us. But He knows what is best for us and answers accordingly when we pray.

We may pray earnestly and ask God for our needs and wants. But at the same time we pray, “Lord, Thy will be done.” And as the Lord added in the Model Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” S. D. Gordon, a great Christian writer of the past century, stated: “The purpose of prayer is to get God’s will done. The greatest prayer any one can offer is ‘Thy will be done.’ It will be offered in a thousand different forms, with a thousand details, as needs arise daily. But every true prayer comes under those four words: ‘Thy will be done.’ ” Eugene Peterson in The Message Bible gives I John 5:13-15 thus: “My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he is listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.” To God be the glory! - Ethelene Dyer Jones 02.05.2017