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

The Sharp Sword at Work

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” -Hebrews 4:12 (ESV). [Read Hebrews chapters 3 and 4]

To pinpoint one verse and then ask you to read two chapters to gain the context in which Hebrews 4:12 is set is a bit unusual for a brief devotional. But the author of Hebrews is writing about the rest intended for the children of God, eternal rest, that which comes after this earthly journey is finished. In these two chapters, he reviews why the children of Israel were rebellious, even soon after they were freed from bondage in Egypt. Verse 3:15 warms, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” In these chapters, and in the cited verse (Hebrews 4:12), the people addressed are the children of God; Christians, followers of the Lord Christ. Our rebellion and disobedience are waded into by God’s Word which is working to bring us back to the yoke of the Lord and the way in which we should walk.

In Hebrews 4:12 we might think that “the word of God” is our Bible, and certainly it is. But here many scholars agree that “the word of God” means God’s personal communication to the believer which is living, active, sharp, piercing and discerning. We might consider it as God speaking to our conscience to get our attention. He pictures God’s Word as a sharp two-edged sword. Imagine a sword, especially one sharp on two edges, slashing away in battle. What an inroad that action by a brave soldier with a sword in his hand would make. A graphic picture should immediately come to our mind. The word of God acts as God Himself who gets at one’s innermost thoughts and intentions and exposes what is amiss in the believer’s life. Have you not felt this sharp sword? Have you not succumbed to its penetrating sharpness?

I have strong impressions of what I should do, right actions, changes in behavior, a more deeply discerning Christian life with more study of the Bible, prayer, doing the deeds the Lord lays upon my heart to do. There is a constant prodding of the Spirit, urging me to change my slovenly ways and get back to the serious business of following God. Talk about the Sharp Sword at Work? I’ve experienced it!

God speaks through His written Word, the Bible. It too is like a two-edged sword. Let us see some ideas the Bible itself lists about this guidebook. It is a lamp unto our feet (Psalm 119:105). It is a hammer that shatters hardest rock (Jeremiah 23:29). It is like honey in the comb, sweet and a comfort food (Psalm 19:9-10). It is like gold, a source of wealth, enriching us (Psalm 19:9-10). God’s Word is as the rain and the snow that water and refresh the earth (Isaiah 55:10-11). His Word is seed planted in the heart that bears abundant harvest (Luke 8:11). The Word is like a mirror in which we see ourselves reflected and try to correct what is awry so that the reflected image can be better (James 1:22-25). The Word is milk and meat, ample to nourish and bring health to the soul (Hebrews 5:12-13). It is fire that both warms us and burns us, depending on our perspective and how we heed the word, the fire (Jeremiah 23:29). And certainly, God’s Word is a sharp, penetrating, “a double-edged sword that pierces asunder the soul and the spirit, the joints and marrow of our bodies, and exposes the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). And verse 4:13 states: “And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” To be sure, before we can find that eternal rest, we must deal with the sharp sword of God’s Word. Dr. A. T. Pierson stated: “The Word of Christ proves itself to be the Word of God by its living energy and its penetrating power.” Amen. -Ethelene Dyer Jones 01.29.2017.

God Offers Peace

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trustiest in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.” -Isaiah 26:3-4 (KJV)

Perhaps many readers of this devotional, as I, memorized Bible verses using the King James Version. I often use this version still when I want to call other’s attention to verses we should commit to memory. To my mind, that version is stately and majestic. But this is not to say that we should not also use the more modern versions to help us see more clearly in the language of today the depth of meaning of the scriptures. Here are the same two verses in more modern translations:

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” (ESV)

Eugene Peterson’s The Message Bible reads: “People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.”

The verses fall into a memorable four-point outline:

1. God gives perfect peace. In the Hebrew language, the word for peace is repeated: “shalom, shalom.” The repetition indicates intensity of meaning: cessation of conflict, but also conveys the idea of safety, blessings, wholeness of mind and heart.

2. Minds are stayed on God. From New Testament scriptures, having our mind stayed on God is also emphasized strongly. Colossians 3:2 teaches us the importance of our minds being stayed, or fastened, constantly on God and His will for us: “Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on earth. And Romans 8:6 teaches us that to set the mind on the things of the Spirit is “life and peace.”

3. Trust in the Lord should be ongoing, forever. We are not to be wishy-washy about our trust in God. Our faith helps us to be dependent upon God and to know that “He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

4. God continually strengthens the believer. God’s strength is everlasting. I like the hymn, “Like a River Glorious” with words by Frances Ridley Havergal. Her lines express well how God strengthens the believer: “Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest / finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest.” Another line from her beautiful hymn describes God’s continuing, everlasting strength: “Perfect yet it floweth fuller every day / Perfect, yet it growth, deeper all the way.”

Prayer: Lord, with conditions in such turmoil in this age in which we live, help us to cling to the “shalom, shalom” (perfect peace) You give. May our minds be stayed on You so that we can receive Your peace. May our trust in you grow day by day as You give Your peace to us. Lord, we thank You for your peace that passes understanding and strengthens us day by day to face the challenges of life. In Jesus’ name. Amen. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 01.22.2017

God’s Plans for His Children

“For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” -Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NKJV) [Read Jeremiah 29]

Jeremiah 29 is a letter from the prophet sent to misplaced Jewish exiles in Babylon. Many thought Judah would soon be restored, since they were God’s called people. But Jeremiah saw God’s restoration differently. In Jeremiah 29:10 he told the people that after 70 years, God would restore them to the land of Judah. Here is a study outline of Jeremiah 29, a chapter which is said to be the major theme of the whole book of Jeremiah:

     1. A statement of the condition (Jer. 29:1-3)

     2. Learn to make the best of whatever situation you are in (vv. 4-6)

     3. Pray, pray, pray in whatever situation you find yourself (v. 7)

     4. Don’t listen to the wrong advice (vv. 8-9)

     5. Take the long view of the situation (v. 10)

     6. Hope in God’s plans (v. 11) [Key text, and memory verse from this passage]

     7. Above all, constantly seek the Lord and His ways (vv. 13-14)

A more modern rendition of Jeremiah 29:11 is from Eugene Peterson’s The Message Bible: “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” In this verse, God speaks authoritatively about His plans, with the firm assurance that His plans also include what the believers hope for in the future. Who doesn’t want the “best” for themselves and others? God Himself wants what is best for us! We must acknowledge that our “best” plans “oft’ go agley” as Scottish Poet Robert Burns so aptly stated (we would translate: “often go contrary of what we plan.”) But if we are sincere believers who “know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, NKJV), then we can trust God to help us through any situation. Problems will be there; His power is greater than any problems we face! Selah!

Briefly stated (for it is a long story,) I give testimony to Jeremiah 29:11-13, and how it has helped me tremendously since 2002 Then I made the decision to move Grover and me to Milledgeville from the beautiful mountains of North Georgia that had been my home most of my life. There were some years away at college and a few years of “first ministry” for Grover; and then the Lord moved us to Hiawassee, and then to Epworth [in the mountains] where his ministry and my teaching—the bulk of these—occurred in the mountains. Now the story as to why we moved to Middle Georgia. In June, 2002 I decided to purchase the house next door to my daughter Cynthia’s house, and move us here (the move occurred later, February 17, 2003 when the house was ready). Grover was well into having the dread disease of Alzheimer’s. I needed family help, and received it, as well as help and support from many Christian friends I met here, and our church which ministered to both of us in such loving ways. I kept him at home with help for four more years after we moved to Milledgeville. Then in 2007, he became a patient at Georgia War Veterans’ Home here, another God-send along the long route of providing for an Alzheimer’s patient. He died January 26, 2011. I was ministered to and loved by these good people (as well as many others from long-distance, friends in the mountains and elsewhere). “I know the plans I have for you,” the Lord promised. And it has proven so true for me. “Every morning, mercies new.” God has proven in so many ways the truth of Jeremiah 29: in our “exile” here. Will I move back to the mountains? God hasn’t finished with me here yet! -Ethelene Dyer Jones 01.15.2017