Mindsets

"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you" (Romans 8:5-9a)

I love this whole chapter. As our pastor says, it begins with "no condemnation" and ends with "no separation". In the verses recorded above, we are challenged as to our focus. Verse 5 has also been worded, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." "Setting our minds"-- we all set our minds on something. We all devote much energy and time dwelling on one thing or another. In this passage, we are challenged as to what the content of our thoughts is. It could be our upcoming schedules, the interesting week we just had, our schoolwork, our jobs, a certain person, a new movie we just watched... But wait! What does this say? "They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit." If we are living fleshly, unChristlike lives, it will be fleshly, unChristlike things that fill our minds. But if we are filling the resovoirs of our hearts with Christ, and if we are living a life to please Him, our thoughts, too, will be filled with Christ. If your thoughts are like the former, beware! The "carnal mind" (a mind set on the flesh) is enmity with (hostile to) God! To not be Christlike is to be fleshly; not to be heavenly minded is to be earthly minded. Fleshly-mindedness (if that is a word :-) ) is directly opposed to all that Christ would have us to be like.

In Colossians 3, He calls us to "set your affection on (STRONGS gives the idea of "exercising" the mind" or "entertaining thoughts") things above, not on things of the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." We are to die to the things of the world, and live our lives through Christ. If we are doing this, Christ will fill our hearts and minds.

I am not saying we cannot turn our thoughts to any earthly things. Moms need to think about planning meals; kids need to diligently apply themselves to their schoolwork; I as an author will need to devote time to my books and articles. But through all this, there out to be an ever-present awareness of the Saviour, and we should often come back to Him in our thoughts and hearts and commune with Him.

Allow me to give an example of this in an outward sense. My good friend Leahna and I have delightful conversations on all sorts of subjects. But I've noticed that nearly all the time the conversation somehow ends up back on the things of the Lord: what He's been teaching us, what His Word says about this or that, and so on. It is the same with several other of my girl- and lady-friends. These friendships are so encouraging because they point me towards the Lord. Now, let's apply that to our very thought life. All we think should somehow still come back to the Lord of glory and His Word and ways.

I find myself so guilty, though. Driving two hours to church both ways each Sunday, my mind is often filled with daydreaming and thinking about entertainments and other things like that, when I ought to be meditating on Christ's character, reciting Scripture, and reminding myself of His ways and word. This is an area where I really desire to change. I want to "put off" a worldly mind and "put on" a heavenly mind.

Now you evaluate: What is consuming your thoughts and your time? If you have time of doing nothing, which leaves you just to think, what do your thoughts revolve around? What do you think? Imagine, if we filled our minds with that, how much farther along we would be in our spiritual lives! Let us fill our minds with Christ today!

Note to Seamstresses and Historical Costume Lovers!

Jennie Chancey, from Sense and Sensibility patterns is now offering e-patterns at low prices, for several of her patterns, including her whole Regency collection! Please check out her site here!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Sense and Sensibility patterns: they are reproductions of costumes from bygone eras (Regency, Victorian, Swing, etc.) Many are very modest, beautiful, and feminine. If you always wanted to look like the Dashwood and Bennett sisters, or Miss Anne Elliott, you will love Sense and Sensibility patterns!

I have never made any dresses from Mrs. Chancey's patterns but a friend made the 1914 Afternoon Dress pattern for Amanda (Rosebud), which turned out beautiful! Now I am collecting materials to make a complete Regency costume!

Here are some pictures of Amanda in her Sensibility dress. :-)

Regardless

"And thou shalt say to them, 'Thus saith the Lord God'... and thou shalt speaks my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious" (Ezekiel 2:4b, 7).

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In this passage, Ezekiel is given a command, and no condition. "Whether they will hear, or refuse to hear...." he was still to speak the message. Our concern should not be other people's response, though we must declare the truth and leave them to make their choice. We cannot say, "Well, it won't do any good, so why try?" God says "speak" and we must speak. He says "submit" and we must submit. He says "honor" and we must honor. Regardless of whether the other party ever changes or not, it is our responsibility, as servants of Christ, to obey and leave the results to God. He does not bless us according to how well people responded to our message, how many people we "got saved", or even how much earthly difference we made. He blesses us for our obedience, our own response to His call, and the spiritual fruit produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit working in us. He blesses us for boldness in declaring His Word in the first place, for without preaching there is no hearing, and without hearing, there is no salvation (Romans 10:14). We must present the truth to others, and let God work in their lives, while continuing to do His will in our own hearts as well. We must keeping obeying God and being a testimony of His grace in our lives, no matter how others respond or if they even respond at all.

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"But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee" (Ezekiel 2:8).

Faithful and Talkative

FAITHFUL. Then Faithful stepped forward again, and said to Talkative, "Come, what cheer? How is it now?"

TALKATIVE. "Thank you, well. I thought we should have had a great deal of talk by this time."

FAITH. "Well, if you will, we will fall to it now; and since you left it with me to state the question, let it be this: 'How doth the saving grace of God discover itself, when it is in the heart of man?'"

TALK. "I perceive then, that our talk must be about the power of things. Well, it is a very good question, and I shall be willing to answer you. And take my answer in brief, thus: First, Where the grace of work of God is in the heart, it causeth there a great outcry against sin. Secondly--"

FAITH. "Nay, hold, let us consider of one at once. I think you should rather say, It shows itself by inclining the soul to abhor its sin."

TALK. "Why, what difference is there between crying out against, and abhorring of sin?"

FAITH. "O! a great deal. A man may cry out against sin of policy, but he cannot abhor it, but by virtue of a godly antipathy against it. I have heard many cry out against sin in the pulpit, who yet can abide it well enough in the heart, house, and conversation. Joseph's mistress cried out with a loud voice, as if she had been very holy; but she would willingly, notwithstanding that, have committed uncleanness with him. Some cry out against sin, even as the mother cries out against her child in her lap, when she calleth it slut and naughty girl, and then falls to hugging and kissing it."

TALK. "You lie at the catch, I perceive."

FAITH. "No, not I; I am only for setting things right. But what is the second thing whereby you would prove a discovery of a work of grace in the heart?"

TALK. "Great knowledge of Gospel mysteries."

FAITH. "This sign should have been first; but first or last, it is also false; for knowledge, great knowledge, may be obtained in the mysteries of the Gospel, and yet no work of grace in the soul. Yea, if a man have all knowledge, he may yet be nothing, and so consequently be no child of God. When Christ said, 'Do you know all these things?' and the disciples had answered, 'Yes'; He addeth, 'Blessed are ye if ye do them.' He doth not lay the blessing in the knowing of them, but in the doing of them. For there is a knowledge that is not attended with doing: 'He that knoweth his master's will, and doeth it not.' A man may know like an angel, and yet be no Christian, therefore your sign of it is not true. Indeed, to know is a thing that pleaseth talkers and boasters; but to do is that which pleaseth God. Not that the heart can be good without knowledge; for without that the heart is naught. There is, therefore, knowledge and knowledge. Knowledge that resteth in the bare speculation of things; and knowledge that is accompanied with the grace of faith and love; which puts a man upon doing even the will of God from the heart: the first of these will serve the talker; but without the other the true Christian is not content. 'Give me understanding, and I shall keep Thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart' (Psalm 119:34).

TALK. "You lie at the catch again; this is not for edification."

FAITH. "Well, if you please, propound another sign how this work of grace discovereth itself where it is."

TALK. "Not I, for I see we shall not agree."

FAITH. "Well, if you will not, will you give me leave to do it?"

TALK. "You may use your liberty."

FAITH. "A work of grace in the soul discovereth itself, either to him that hath it, or to standers by. To him that hath it thus: It gives him conviction of sin, especially of the defilement of his nature and the sin of unbelief (for the sake of which he is sure to be damned, if he findeth not mercy at God's hand, by faith in Jesus Christ). This sight and sense of things worketh in him sorrow and shame for sin; he findeth, moreover, revealed in Him the Saviour of the world, and the absolute necessity of closing with Him for life, at the which he findeth hungerings and thirstings after Him; to which hungerings, &c., the promise is made. Now, according to the strength or weakness of his faith in his Saviour, so is his joy and peace, so is his love to holiness, so are his desires to know Him more, and also to serve Him in this world. But though I say it discovereth itself thus unto him, yet it is but seldom that he is able to conclude that this is a work of grace; because his corruptions now, and his abused reason, make his mind to misjudge in this matter; therefore, in him that hath this work, there is required a very sound judgment before he can, with steadiness, conclude that this is a work of grace.

To others, it is thus discovered:

1. By an experimental confession of his faith in Christ.
2. By a life answerable to that confession; to wit, a life of holiness; heart-holiness, family-holiness (if he hath a family), and by conversation-holiness in the world; which, in the general, teacheth him, inwardly, to abhor his sin, and himself for that, in secret; to suppress it in his family, and to promote holiness in the world; not by talk only, as a hypocrite or talkative person may do, but by a practical subjection, in faith and love, to the power of the Word. And now, Sir, as to this brief description of the work of grace, and also the discovery of it, if you have aught to object, object; if not, then give me leave to propound to you a second question."

TALK. "Nay, my part is not now to object, but to hear; let me, therefore, have your second question."

FAITH. "It is this: Do you experience this first part of this description of it? and doth your life and conversation testify the same? or standeth your religion in word or in tongue, and not in deed and truth? Pray, if you incline to answer me in this, say no more than you know the God above will say Amen to; and, also, nothing but what your conscience can justify you in; 'for, not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.' Besides, to say, I am thus, and thus, when my conversation, and all my neighbours, tell me I lie, is great wickedness."

TALK. Then Talkative at first began to blush; but, recovering himself, thus he replied: "You come now to experience, to conscience, and God; and to appeal to Him for justification of what is spoken. This kind of discourse I did not expect; nor am I disposed to give an answer to such questions, because I count not myself bound thereto, unless you take upon you to be a catechiser, and, though you should so do, yet I may refuse to make you my judge. But, I pray, will you tell me why you ask me such questions?"

FAITH. "Because I saw you forward to talk, and because I knew not that you had aught else but notion. Besides, to tell you all the truth, I have heard of you, that you are a man whose religion lies in talk, and that your conversation gives this your mouth-profession the lie. They say, you are a spot among Christians; and that religion fareth the worse for your ungodly conversation; that some already have stumbled at your wicked ways, and that more are in danger of being destroyed thereby; your religion, and an ale-house, and covetousness, and uncleanness, and swearing, and lying, and vain company keeping, &c., will stand together. The proverb is true of you which is said of a whore, to wit, that she is a shame to all women; so are you a shame to all professors."

TALK. "Since you are ready to take up reports, and to judge so rashly as you do, I cannot but conclude you are some peevish or melancholy man, not fit to be discoursed with; and so adieu."

CHRISTIAN. Then came up Christian, and said to his brother, "I told you how it would happen; your words and his lusts could not agree; he had rather leave your company than reform his life. But he is gone, as I said; let him go, the loss is no man's but his own; he has saved us the trouble of going from him; for he continuing (as I suppose he will do) as he is, he would have been but a blot in our company; besides, the apostle says, 'From such withdraw thyself.'"

FAITH. "But I am glad we had this little discourse with him; it may happen that he will think of it again; however, I have dealt plainly with him, and so am clear of his blood, if he perisheth."

CHR. "You did well to talk so plainly to him as you did; there is but little of this faithful dealing with men now-a-days, and that makes religion to stink so in the nostrils of many, as it doth; for they are these talkative fools whose religion is only in word, and are debauched and vain in their conversation, that (being so much admitted into the fellowship of the godly) do puzzle the world, blemish Christianity, and grieve the sincere. I wish that all men would deal with such as you have done; then should they either be made more conformable to religion, or the company of saints would be too hot for them."

Then did Faithful say,

How Talkative at first lifts up his plumes!
How bravely doth he speak! How he presumes
To drive down all before him! But so soon
As Faithful talks of heart-work, like the moon
That's past the full, into the wane he goes.
And so will all, but he that HEART-WORK knows.

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"For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified" (Romans 2:13)

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22)

Humor for Singles

Believe it or not, on a day like this, I was nevertheless unfortunately goofy and "creative" (I think it was my hideous nights sleep last night) and "Elinor Dashwood" is going to post something funny for once! At least, I thought it was funny. Not intensely edifying, though I guess it has an element of truth in it, for all it's "non-sensicality". :-)

I did something I often do with already-existing songs: revised them. :-D This morning I had already been seeing the two songs to the tune Ton-y-Botel ("Once to Every Man and Nation" and "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus") and somehow this revision of the former came out (read it singing the tune in your head):


"Once to every man and woman
Comes the moment to decide,
Whom to love and whom to marry,
Whom to make the groom or bride.
Marriage is a great decision,
One you make for all your life;
When the choice goes by forever,
You have only one husband or wife."



Of course, there are exceptions, if you are a widow, or never marry, or something. But if you're not a widow and if you do get married some day, the point is this: You get one choice concerning marriage; make sure you make the right choice!

Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my funny side! :-)

The Source of Victory

You know, I said I had a lot to post and here's another quote of the day! :-) I'm filling you up with all the hundreds of quotes I have in my quote book. ;-)

I especially love this quote by one of my top HEROES (!!) Eric Liddell. He wrote this in a booklet for the Chinese Christians whom he worked with, before Japan took over China and sent him to a prison camp called Weihsein, where he died. It is one of my favorite quotes.

"Victory over all the circumstances comes not by might, nor by power, but by a practical confidence in God and by allowing His Spirit to dwell in our hearts and control our actions and emotions. Learn in these days of ease and comfort so that when the days of hardship come, you will be fully equipped to meet them."

-Eric Liddell

WHO's in charge??

Yesterday the country was all at the polls, making the choice between two men of very different convictions and character-- or perhaps between one with convictions and character, and one without. This morning many people are rejoicing. Many people are looking forward to seeing their financial problems fixed. They are excited at such a historical event having taken place.

Others are hardly rejoicing. Some are probably in dumb shock. Some are realizing that this is a new page in history and it doesn't look too good. While driving through town today, we even saw a man putting his flag at half-mast. Some, however, are realizing, and I hope I am one of these, that Barack Obama is not and will not be on the throne-- now or ever. It may seem so, but it is not. Only One Person is truly on the throne, and He's very reliable, because He has been at this business for 6,000 years-- and even before then. Economic and political changes do not change Him in the least, and corrupt governments and tight financial circumstances do not hinder Him in any way from being just as powerful as He ever was. This ruler-- this King-- is Jehovah, God Almighty. He is not very popular, and would not have won the vote if He was considered a presidential candidate. But that doesn't hinder Him. He is in control. He continues to orchestrate the courses of nature and the hearts and lives of men.

God's declaration of His will and government (the Bible) declares that "the king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." In the first chapter of Job, we also read about satan coming before God and asking permission to torment Job. God gave him permission, but also set a bound that he could not pass over, and used all of it for His [God's] own glory. Likewise, whoever the president, or any other leader is, they cannot go beyond the bounds God has set for them, and all they do is only part of God's plan to bring Himself glory and further His kingdom.

Part of me dreads the future. And yet at the same time I know I have a God who is far above anything else and He is in control. Why worry? It doesn't do any good. Rather, we must all choose to go forth in the eternal principles and live in the unchangeable promises that He founded ages ago, in far tighter circumstances than we find ourselves in now.

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In the 6th century, B.C., Israel was taken into captivity by Bablyon. This is the message God sent them in that difficult time:

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness...
For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."

Isaiah 41:10,13

This promise is true for all today who have believed on and obey the Messiah and therefore become children of Abraham as well.

Quote for the Day

"Not to advance in the spiritual life is to go back."
-Brother Lawrence

Two New Blogs

Recently, there have been two new blogs started up and I would like to recommend them to you.

http://www.amandasjournals.blogspot.com/ ~ This is my sister Amanda (Rosebud)'s new blog, so if you like my blog, you'll probably love her blog! :-D

http://www.knowing-christ.blogspot.com/ ~ This is Vika (Tory)'s new blog. It is very lovely and I would encourage you especially to read her post on God's love. It is very encouraging!

Election Day Tomorrow

The Lord has been teaching me so much lately, and I have so much to blog. It's hard to decide what to write about first!! That's good though; I love when I have an overabundance of teaching from God's Word. Plus, I need to catch up from last week. ;-) So here goes:

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Here's an exerpt from my journal today:

"Election Day is... guess what? Tomorrow! ... Let righteousness reign. Revive your people, Lord, and save souls. Give "we the people", as well as our leaders, wisdom, and most importantly, salvation through Your Son Jesus Christ. And, above all, prepare us and give us grace for whatever comes. What a beautiful thought that, no matter who gets the presidency, You will always be the same, and I will still be the same in You. Politics and economics cannot come in between You and me. Like Vika said in her post that I read yesterday, nothing, absolutely nothing, can seperate us from Your love, and if we truly believe that, we won't have room in our hearts for worry or fear...

... Whatever You alow I know You'll give grace to bear it and You won't be even one step farther from us than before. How wonderful to serve a constant, unchangeable God! You are the same now as You were when You made Your covenant with Abraham; You are the same now as when You parted the Red Sea and gave the children of Israel manna each day as they needed it; You are the same now as when You stopped the lions' mouths and brought Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego through the fiery furnace untouched; You are the same now as when You raised Jesus, Your Son, from the grave and when You changed the heart of a radical persecutor named Saul and made him one of Your greatest apostles. Almighty, Unchangeable God!"