God

497 – Thinking and The Renewed Mind

Righteousness is part of our renewed mind thinking. Life is lived in our minds. What we think, what we feel, all our emotions, all our aspirations, all our thoughts are all in our minds.

That's how we live in our minds, everybody, man, woman, and child, no matter how old. We need to work on our thoughts. That's the reason for this teaching series on thinking and the renewed mind.

Romans 12:1 – 3 "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. ² 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. ³ For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

The first thing I want to get into is 'by the mercies of God.' Let's look at a man who was so human that there are lessons for us to learn here.

Genesis 19:15 & 16 "And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. ¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city."

Lot's thinking wasn't so good. You might be able to say he was not in his right mind. In these verses, we see the word mercy used, and this is the first time that the word is used in Scripture, making it a good example of mercy.

2 Peter 2:6 – 8 "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; ⁷ And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: ⁸ (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)"

The Scripture here tells us that Lot was righteous. God took his sin away as far as the East is from the West, even into the deepest sea. Even being righteous, he could not keep his mind right; it was vexed.

Genesis 19:17 – 22 "And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. ¹⁸ And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: ¹⁹ Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: ²⁰ Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. ²¹ And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. ²² Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar."

Lot was a man with half a brain. He couldn't think. God, at times, is willing to change His mind to help people, but when He does, the best you can get is only second best. This is an example of God's mercy to a man with an unrenewed mind.

Genesis 19:37 & 38 "And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. ³⁸ And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day."

God gave both the Moabites and the Amorites an inheritance, but later they wanted to kill the Israelites. God had to save the Israelites.

Give thanks for his mercy endureth forever.

Psalm 136:1 – 25 "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. ² O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. ³ O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever. ⁴ To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever. ⁵ To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. ⁶ To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever. ⁷ To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: ⁸ The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: ⁹ The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever. ¹⁰ To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever: ¹¹ And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever: ¹² With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever. ¹³ To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever: ¹⁴ And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever: ¹⁵ But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever. ¹⁶ To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever. ¹⁷ To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever: ¹⁸ And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever: ¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever: ²⁰ And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever: ²¹ And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever: ²² Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever. ²³ Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever: ²⁴ And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever. ²⁵ Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever."

In our thinking, in our minds, when things get challenging and uncomfortable, we usually revert to our habits. In the renewed mind, we need to train our minds, our thinking, to think things from the written Word.

How deserving was Israel? What about our thinking do we deserve anything from God? But by God's grace and mercy and because of what Jesus Christ and God accomplished for us, and because God says so, we deserve it.

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a liv