The Mind of Christ through the Holy Spirit

The Mind of Christ?

Perspective, insight, understanding, knowledge, wisdom, and ability, all through the Guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The Present Moment?: I call it the Here and Now.

The present moment is "where" and "when" we exist and have our being. Our understanding resides with our thoughts in the present moment. Our understanding is informed by our “perspective", which is derived from a combination of our five senses, our memory of the past that validates the present moment, and our ability to reason, which anticipates the future. Because of this, each individual has a “unique” and limited perspective.

Our perspective is limited by the laws of physics and the nature of our inertial frame, which is our physical body. This is why the truth of Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6 is so important to understand. And why being Spirit-led is an essential aspect of every believer’s walk.

If we are born again, we are conscious of the Holy Spirit’s presence. According to His will, the Holy Spirit “informs” our perspective and therefore increases our understanding so, if we trust and obey, we can participate in what He is doing in the present moment (Revealing the Kingdom).

The present moment, the here and now, is the only place where a child of God is led by the Spirit of God. It's where the Holy Spirit reminds us of His leading in the past: John 14:26. It is where He speaks prophetically to us about the future.  John 16:13

The present moment is the only place where we can exercise Biblical Faith as we trust and obey the Holy Spirit's leading in the here and now!

Jesus said, "I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees (present-tense), the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way. Jn 5:19

Jesus also said, “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Jn 14:10

I Corinthians 12:4-7. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” 

Romans 12: 6-8. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”
1 Peter 4:10-11. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.”

"Now" & "Eternity"

God's "Presence" is "present" only in the present moment of the "here and now"! The here and now is where we invest in "Eternity" because "now" is where we abide in Christ. Not tomorrow. Not yesterday. In Christ we abide in Eternity because He is Eternal.

My relationship with God exists in the here and now. There is no other "time or place"  to "Walk with God" 

And behold, I Am with you always,

There is never a time that the Holy Spirit is not present in our lives.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Luke 12:32  “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Choices

Choice is all about your ability to choose. If you say "I have no choice" than you believe a lie. In the old testament, God says "choose you this day, a blessing or a curse". Fundamentally, those are the two choices we have.

In The Sermon on the Mount Jesus speaks about making choices...

Matt 18:9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

If your flesh causes you to sin, well you have a choice. From the hyperbole in the Sermon on the Mount to Paul's practical advice from his own experience...

Rom 8:12-14 "Therefore Brethren we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh, For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if you through the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the children of God."

Galatians 6:7-8  ESV  Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Col. 3:5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For which things' sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.

Know this...

1Cor. 10:15. No temptation has seized you, except what is common to man. And God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but will also provide with the temptation the escape, to be able to endure it.

The only thing you have no choice about is about making choices.

You have a choice! Sow to the flesh and reap the curse. Sow to the Holy Spirit and reap the blessing.

Learning to overcome our fleshly nature through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, this is the process of sanctification. God's will is for us to be overcomers.

Happiness vs Joy

Happiness is reaping the fruit of your labour. Joy is knowing you stand blameless before the Lord of Eternity even when there is no fruit.

"Now" is the time for Joy and happiness. It can also be the time of regret and dread.

It all depends on who you trust and obey.

Present-tense: an attribute of the Holy Spirit.

Now is 'where" God is. Where "you are" is held together (action) by God in the now. He is present everywhere. He calls Himself "I Am". We "are" because "He is".

This all is going on in the present tense. Now!

Authentic Faith?

The difference between "authentic faith" and a "trust in their own understanding" has huge ramifications on how our "faith" is lived out and therefore passed on.

Biblical principles are made alive by the Holy Spirit as one realizes their need to be guided. Thus knowledge is acquired... If a man knows to do good and doesn't do it, that is sin

The problem is when we trust in our own understanding. (Prov. 3:5-6)

Faith implies a present-tense relationship with God. Present-tense is used in grammar for actions that are happening now. We reside/exist in the Now, and so does our relationship with God. It is impossible to have "Faith" in God without a relationship with Him where His presence is experienced in the present.

We think that we have the ability to anticipate the contingencies that our choices will propagate. But we forget "we see through a glass darkly"! Our perspective and therefore our understanding is limited. But God's is not.

Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the children of God.

Due Diligence in the Kingdom.

Acts17:  11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men...

"Reject passivity" comes to mind when I think of "Due Diligence". And as I think of that, I hear the Spirit say "Pay Attention". And along with that I hear, "What are you waiting for"?

Am I paying attention? If so, what am I waiting for?

The creature is not independent of the Creator.

Identity, Self-conception, interpretation, unique perspective.

Patterns of behavior are a result of who we perceive ourselves to be, our identity. Our conception of self is derived from how we interpret our unique perspective that exists in the now but...

A natural man, yes I am, that broke free from the "cycle" of deception. Ill-equipped to face the challenge of condemnation or exaltation, how do I train up a son in the way that he should go.

The truth shall set you free!

Deception is the norm. Make-believe is entertainment's offering of "distraction" to all our perspectives. How can I discern the truth in what I perceive?

Conception: an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances.

Self-conception: who you think you are derived from past instances that formed an identity.

What is a "fact"? Is it a statement of action or observance of state? The statement, "The earth is the third rock from the sun" is true for now. So is a "fact" something that is an observed truth at a given moment? Or is "Observed State" a recognition of the fact of determinism?

• Is our interpretation of our unique perspective a reliable foundation to base all our choices and decisions on?
• Do we have a clear understanding of how, what we decide, will propagate forward?
• Do we have it in our capacity to comprehend reality's nature and the influence our free will has on the circumstance made available to others that experience that influence? 

The answer to these questions makes me think, "Oh crap!".

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.

One day exists in the "Now" of God's presence. What is "Now"?

It is the dynamic interaction of all that exists. Reality? Incomprehensible!

We see a fraction and can only comprehend an infinitesimal and in our pride we proclaim understanding.

The question is, "Do we understand how lost we are?"

Not just "Present" but "Awake"!

My "present" location is in the "Now". Here I am. This "here" is in a constant state of change as the interaction of mass and energy changes and transforms my now.

My "now", how to describe it?

Cycles of perceived repeatability. This is why we think "today was just like all the others". We lose sight of he fact that we are not able to understand the moment in the infinite complexity of Now. Cycles make us think "I have been here before". NOT!

If I know the "Here and Now" is where I am "present" and it is unique, then I know I can't trust in my own understanding for my current circumstance, then I will be much more likely to pay attention to the lover of my soul and seek His insight as to the way I should walk.

Are you awake?

Are you present? I am present, Here and Now.

My inertial frame is always present in my now. My now is limited to a horizon of relationship that is restricted to what or who is present in my "here". My here and now's horizon has been expanded by technology that allows me to communicate beyond geographic locals and synchronicity becomes evident.

My now is synchronised with everyone else's now because communication extends beyond my "here" and expands my "now".

This expansion of now reveals Synchronization and is proof that the present is all that exists. You are never not present in the now! No matter where you are.

Here you are. Now!, is the time.

When we believe time exists we think that the future is something that gives us the opportunity to put off the need to change. The need to change is presented to us by our current situation and the memory of how we got here. Here is "Here" and it changes according to deterministic laws outside our control, except for our ability to choose "this and not that".

You exist in the "Here and Now". The reality of your existence is brought into focus by your ability to remember how things were different and anticipate change before it happens.

The problem is your insight into the "Now' is limited to your inertial frame and what you can infer from your experience in it.

"Now" is all that exists. "Here", is your position in the now in relation to everything else.

Here is the dynamic. You are in a constant state of change. The change is incomprehensible to one restricted by their inertial frame.

Here you are and Now is the time. Tomorrow may never come.

However you define "Present" God is in the "Here and Now"

Jehovah Shammah: God is Present... The "present" is the time that is associated with the events perceived directly, not as a recollection of the past (memory) or a speculation of the future (reason). It is often called now.

Jehovah Shammah: God is "Present"

The "present" is the time that is associated with the events perceived directly, not as a recollection of the past (memory) or a speculation of the future (reason). It is often called now.

"Now" is where I become.

Now is where I am. Where I am changes and that change is beyond my control, mostly. Try to stop the moment from passing by. Can you? It is just like your choices. Can you stop making choices? Try it...

See what I mean, you've just experienced the determinism created by the interaction of mass and energy.

Tensed facts are created in the the continuum of reality that I call "Now". In their creation they become unalterable. They are created by the temporal, dynamic cause and effect interaction of mass and energy.

The observer, you and me, are confronted by reason and memory. We remember the way things were and we anticipate how things could be. I say "could" because memory and reason give us the ability to make a choice. This, not that. It is the power to over-ride the determinism of the continuum.

All of us are becoming... what? It's up to us to choose. We can't stop making choices but we can decide what we will choose.

We can't stop making choices but our choices determine who we become. The dynamic cause and effect interaction of mass and energy can be overcome by choice. Our choices determine our destiny... or do they?

All of us are becoming.

Now is where I am. Where I am changes and that change is beyond my control, mostly. Try to stop the moment from passing by. Can you? It is just like your choices. Can you stop making choices?

Tensed facts are created in the now of the continuum of reality. In their creation they become unalterable. They are created by the temporal, dynamic cause and effect interaction of mass and energy.

The observer, you and me, are confronted by reason and memory. We remember the way things were and we anticipate how things could be. I say "could" because memory and reason give us the ability to make a choice. This, not that. It is the power to over-ride the determinism of the continuum.

All of us are becoming... what? It's up to us to choose. We can't stop making choices but we can decide what we will choose.

Time? What I know.

“The true currency of life is time, not money, and we’ve all got a limited stock of that.” 

– Robert Harris

Time, a cruel master. Wait a moment and you have one less to work with. Time, the older you get the faster it passes. At some point you realize it's going to run out for you. But... why is that an issue? Why would you care? Maybe you think I need more time? Time for what? Change? Why do I think I need to change? Something about time makes me think... now is the time. Now is the time to be what I should be.

If you think time is real then you think you have a future. Our mind can anticipate what we call the future and we put our hope in it. Hope in the future gives us an excuse to put off the truth of the now.

If you know "Now" is all that exists, you'll pay much more attention to it. You'll cherish the moment because it is unique, priceless and then gone. You can now take full advantage of the opportunity the moment is providing you.

“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.”

– Harvey Mackay

Chaos Theory, Choices, Decisions and Actions.

Who we will become is determined by our choices, decisions and actions. The choices, decisions and actions that we take in the now create facts that cannot be altered.

In chaos theory, the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location, reveals that even a small action has the potential for an extraordinary consequence.

The "Now" is what exists. Reality is the cosmological temporality of tensed facts that are created in the "Now". A fact cannot be altered. Change is a constant in the "Now". The illusion of time is created by this observance of change brought about by movement. The movement is deterministic outside of our ability to choose. Choice is what gives us the ability to be creative. But it is also the ability to destroy.

Who we can be is not yet determined because we still have the ability to choose. Past facts cannot be altered yet potential still exists. We can choose to tear down or to buildup. There is no other choice before us.

On our deck again

The night was beautiful. The moon, a few days from full, still lit up the cloudless night. I recalled similar nights in northern British Columbia and how the blanket of snow made the night luminous. Hudson, my son, echoed this image as he told how one early morning in winter he came out on the deck and was amazed at how bright and glowing everything was because the moon was shining bright. His regret, "I didn't stay longer".

It was a "stop and smell the roses" moment. I shared about how we'll never be here again. How when we miss seeing the blessing of the moment, the moment is gone.

We sat there watching the embers of the fire glow as it burnt down. I was compelled to reminisce back to the time, as a young boy, I had a miniature deck of cards that I had got from a bubblegum machine. How I had worked hard at separating each card. How I had demanded my Mom come and play with me. How I had threatened her with the destruction of the deck if she didn't come and play, now! She was busy cooking supper. Another moment, but not so Rosey.

I made a choice. As I ripped up the deck of cards, she came into the living room and said: "OK, lets play cards".

The sense of loss was magnified by the realization there was nothing I could do, the deck of cards was gone. Then the realization... It was my fault. Another moment, yes. But oh, the regret, the sense of loss!

Well, what has that to do with our study of time? Hmmm?

I exist. I exist in a continuity. The continuity of the continuum is big. There is incomprehensible complexity in the continuity that exists in the totality of the now. Now is dynamic, it changes with every moment. "Now" is tensed, its change is in one direction. This moment exists in the temporality of God. What was, will never come again.

What is a 6-year-old to do? The moment is gone, never to be recovered. My own choice brought upon me an unanticipated consequence. A sense of loss beyond compare. Is there a lesson to be learned?

Well, of course there is.

A conversation with my son.

As we sat on the deck, enjoying the fire we were watching in the fire pit, I asked Harrison, my son, what words he would use to describe everything that was happening in the universe at this particular moment. He seemed confused, my question held no context.

 I said look at the fire, what is happening there?

We started talking about oxidization and chemical reactions inherent in the fire. How would you describe the fire? We realized there is a lot of information generated by a fire and how to describe it accurately.

I asked him, as we watched the fire burn, what do you think is happening now to the stars in a galaxy on the other side of the universe? He said, "they are moving".

Now think about all the galaxies right now, what words would you use to describe everything that was happening in the universe at this particular moment. He said "overwhelming".

It was then I began to tap his knee. Every few seconds I would tap his knee. I said it looks like I am touching your knee repeatedly. He said yeh, you keep touching my knee over and over again. I said look at the fire, I'll touch your knee again. Was that the same as when I touched your knee earlier? Harrison said no, the fire was different. So each time I touch your knee it's different? Yes, each time you touch my knee it's unique.

I asked Harrison, "What does it mean that something is unique"? He said, "it's one of a kind." I asked him "if it's one of a kind, does that make it valuable"? We considered such...

Harrison is 11 and a half.

Every moment is unique, it will never be repeated. Its value is incomprehensible.

All that exists in the Now.

The interaction of all that exists. How do we describe this interaction? Do we see it in its totality? No. Is any part separate from any other part? No.

The interaction of mass and energy going on in my brain as I write this is correspondent to the movement of stars in a far off galaxy. Any moment in the continuum of our Universe when viewed as a whole is unrepeatable and completely unique.

Unrepeatability. Nothing is repeatable. Nothing is repeatable. Nothing is repeatable. Everything happens in context to everything else. Everything, as a whole, is dynamic and temporal, Because God is dynamic and temporal. Our experience dynamically exists in the eternal temporality of God.

The eternal temporality exists in an uniqueness of tensed facts. These facts have causality that is determinate outside of the creative ability of life to choose. Choice can over-ride determinate causality. This choice creates the realm of "possibilities" for creative innovation.

As we see the uniqueness of each moment, as we understand this moment will never happen again, we can begin to fully appreciate the great value of the moment we are in.

Now we can take full advantage of the opportunity the moment is providing us.