“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds on what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5).

Happy Easter Monday!!!

Because of all that God has done for us in the life, death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ our status is forever changed. Those who receive God’s plan for salvation are forever changed from sinners into sons and daughters of the Kingdom of God.

While our status is changed, it takes the rest of our lives for us to become the people God saved us to become. This is called sanctification. And sanctification is hard work. We will have to work at it for the rest of our lives. But, we are not alone in this work. God has given us his Holy Spirit to help us.

The key word is “help.” The Holy Spirit will help us, remind us, and encourage us. However, the Holy Spirit will not force nor coerce us to change. We have to work with the Holy Spirit to become who God wants us to be.

The great reformer, Martin Luther, is credited with saying, “The old Adam is drowned in baptism but that jackass is a good swimmer!”

The old Adam – our status is changed. We are no longer sinners. We are sons and daughters of God.

But the old Adam is not dead. The old Adam lingers. Our personalities and character need to be developed. Unless we strive to work at becoming who God saved us to become, we will fall back to our default mode – old Adam. This work is sanctification, and this is hard work.

The Apostle Paul knew well this struggle. Read Romans 7. The Apostle Paul struggled with old Adam, just as we do.

The Apostle Paul gives us an insight in how we can work with the Holy Spirit. He tells us:

• Those who live according to the flesh –> have their minds set on what the flesh desires
• Those who live according to the Spirit –> have their minds on what the Spirit desires

What is your mind set on? The flesh? or the Spirit?

The Apostle Paul is talking about our pre-determined priorities. Spirit priorities are things we have to pre-determine before our priorities are challenged. We have to pre-determine to set our minds on the Spirit. Our default mode is old Adam. We know old Adam very well. We need to re-train our minds and hearts to be focused on the Spirit because, when we don’t, we will fall back to our default mode – the flesh.

The mind follows the will. Set your minds on the Spirit. This is about obedience. This is about allegiance. This is about alignment. The more we obey and the more we align ourselves with the Spirit, the more we become who God created us to be. This is sanctification. This is an on-going process. This work will continue until Christ completes the work he began in us.

The more we partner with the Holy Spirit, we will be able to look back and see that we are no longer who we used to be a year ago.

Max Dupree said, “We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are.”

Since we are recipients of such an amazing grace, let us join the Holy Spirit by pre-determining to set our minds on the Spirit.

“While they were reclining at the table eating, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me – one who is eating with me.'” (Mark 14:18).

“You know, masks don’t really work.”

Close to 600,000 Americans have died of Covid.

“You know, this whole Covid thing is a hoax.”

“Keep masking up. Protect the most vulnerable. We’re almost through this.”

These are all things people have said to me. Not just any people. Little Church people. Lakewoodgrace people.

One of the things that I’ve been praying for on a daily basis is wisdom. I need wisdom to know how to pastor a congregation where there are such divergent views. I need wisdom to know how to pastor a people who think and believe so differently than I do.

As I was praying and journaling, I came across the scripture readings for Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday is the evening Jesus spent with his disciples eating the Passover lamb. We know this as the Last Supper. One of the most heartbreaking realities of the Last Supper is that one of the twelve would betray Jesus late that evening with a kiss.

Yet, Jesus still served all of them. Jesus still washed all their feet. Jesus still offered his body and blood as a sacrifice for sins for all of them.

And it dawned on me. This wasn’t the only time Jesus taught, cared for, loved, served, offered forgiveness to someone who disagreed with him. This was his entire existence. No one understood who Jesus was until the cross and the resurrection. Even his disciples didn’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior until then.

How lonely it must have been.

Regardless of people’s past, histories, baggage, misunderstandings, and false understandings, Jesus loved them. Cared for all. Offered forgiveness and salvation to all.

Shoot. Kinda makes me feel small.

I love you Little Church. I love you Lakewoodgrace. We don’t always have to agree. But I will always love you and do my best to serve you. And when I forget and fail to serve you with my best, forgive me and give me a little time so I can get together with Jesus. He’ll remind me. And I’ll be back to do my best to serve you.

“He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

I have helped my kids to learn how to drive. I remind them at the early stages of learning how to drive that the car will go where you’re looking. So if you’re focused on the curb, the car will go toward the curb. In the same way, if you’re focused on the car next to you, the car will start getting even closer to the car next to you. I remind my kids to look where they want the car to go.

What’s true for cars is also true for life. Our life will go where you are focused on.

The devil thrives in the past. The devil loves to remind us of all our failures and stupidity. And when he does, it’s astonishing how quickly and accurately we remember our failures and stupidity.

All those other times of success, joy, and good fade away in our memory. But the moments of failure and stupidity, we remember vividly every detail of how we messed up, how we felt, how it impacted others.

The devil thrives in the past. The devil thrives in the past because the devil already knows that the future belongs to God. The devil already knows that God has won and that he is defeated.

God beckons us to remember our future. God beckons us to remember who he has made us to be in his Son, Jesus Christ.

C. S. Lewis wrote, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

He’s right. There is nothing we can do about our past failures and stupidity. However, what I can tell you with absolute certainty is that God didn’t save us for our past. God saved us for his glorious future. AND, our past, if you’ve repented and confessed your sin, is no longer remembered. The only one who keeps a record of our past failures and stupidity is the devil. The chain that bound us to our failures are broken in Christ.

God is at work in you. And, God will continue to work in you to bring you to completion. That’s God’s promise.

Focus on God’s promises. God has already won the victory. God is currently at work in you to complete the work he has started in you. Focus on God’s promises. And, when you do, your life will go where you’re focused on.