Do You Think with the Mind of Christ?

How much do you think with the mind of Christ?

There was a woman who was gathering items from a grocery store shelf. In the process of reaching for the drink bottles she wished to purchase, one of the cases fell to the floor, broken and spilled all over.

Since this person was a born again believer he didn't have to think at all as to what must happen. She went to find a clerk to clean it up while confessing to her that she broke them.

When this woman approached the counter to purchase her items she insisted to the clerk that he needed to ring up an extra case of the drinks for the one she had broken.

There was no thinking process involved, the woman had accidentally broken something, it was her fault, her automatic and immediate reaction was to tell someone to get it cleaned up before someone stepped on the glass or slipped in the liquid. Then her next action was to make sure she paid for the broken items.

This is the response of someone who cares deeply about what God thinks far more than what the clerks or other shoppers might think of her if she admitted her fault.

Lets take a look at another scenario from another similar incident with another woman.

In this case the older woman had backed into the fence in the parking lot of a shop she intended to enter. This older woman had a companion with her, flustered and upset the older woman turned to her companion asking what she should do.

The companion said to her that she should tell the shop owner and offer to pay for the fence. The older woman entered the shop sheepishly approaching the check out desk in terrified tones said she had run into their fence and then offered to pay for it.

There was a sense that this older woman was hoping that her companion would tell her, "just don't worry about it, they don't know it was you since no one else was in the small lot."

In the first scenario the one who broke the bottles was not the least concerned about how she appeared to others around her, only that she had done something that needed to be made right.

There was no agonizing or sheepish tones in her voice when she admitted her mistake because she was not so deeply afraid as being seen as bad by others. Her perspective was vertical, that is so completely led by the Holy Spirit that her automatic reaction to her mistake was what would be the right thing to do. There was no need to consult with anyone else or consider hiding what she had done, the thought of slinking off without taking care of her duty didn't even occur to her.

In the case of the woman who ran into the parking lot fence of a shop, she was devastated that she would be seen as a bad person for her mistake. This woman appeared to be hoping that her companion would support her in hiding the mistake allowing her to feel free to do what came naturally to her, that is to get away with it without any consequences. In this woman was so much self involvement that she immediately jumped into self protection mode. She was not led by the Holy Spirit only by her own self preservation.

The older woman knew the right thing but didn't want to do it. But since her companion told her the right thing to do she had to do it to maintain her appearance of a good person, so she sheepishly took her companions advice and did the right thing.

In both cases of the broken bottle and fence the shop owners were gracious and declined for the ladies to pay for their mistake. However, even if the shop keepers took them up on their offer to pay for the items the ladies should have done it with graciousness, willingness and a smile on their face.

Here is another scenario that I had witnessed a few years ago along the same lines as the last two stories.

There was a man who had purchased a watch from his local Walmart. When he arrived home he looked all over in his car and could not find the bag with the watch in it. He returned to the store telling the clerks that he didn't get his watch so they gave him another one.

A day or so later this man was rummaging around in his truck and there was the first watch in the bag under the seat of the truck. Rather than taking the watch back to the store and explaining it had been replaced, this man gave the watch to his adult daughter. He counted the watch as his, sense he got away with it he had not conscience about it.

When the adult daughter was told by another companion that she should give the watch back to her father and that he should be told to return it, the companion was treated with disdain for suggesting such a thing.

The adult daughter kept the watch. The companion knew that the father keeping the lost watch and then giving it away was stealing and that the daughter was complicit in the stealing by accepting the watch. Out of irritation that neither the father or the adult daughter did the right thing the companion told the adult daughter this; "I hope the watch breaks, to show you that you have both sinned." Just two weeks later the watch broke.

Why did the companion want consequences for the father and the adult daughter? Because they claimed to be Christians and were resisting correction to do the right thing before God.

All of these people claimed to be Christians and attended church regularly, but only one did the right thing. Does this not suggest the condition of our "Christian" culture today, that if one can get away with not admitting mistakes and sins it is justified in hiding them?

Every mistake and sin we attempt to hide is one more step to a hardened, angry and disdainful heart toward righteousness. And toward those who would attempt to keep us accountable.

1 Peter 2:1 "1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind."

John 10:10
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

An abundant life is not based on how many things we can get away with, it is based on the peace of mind and character of one who loves the Lord so much that they hate to offend our Holy God.

Those who place their comfort and pleasure above God so much so that they are willing to do the wrong thing to spare themselves momentarily, are those who are empty souls full of malice and spiritual neglect.

May born again believers become so close to Christ that there is no need to figure out what is the right thing to do, it comes as naturally as breathing without thought and without self aggrandizement for others to see. Yes, others will see, but doing good for others to see is also counted as sin in God's eyes.

Matthew 6:1 "1 Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. "

Those who love God are the same person when no one sees as they are when others are looking.