THE MIND OF CHRIST -- Tomorrow:
"For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE SHOULD INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:11-16, NASB).
Devotion 20 of 28
Jesus spoke of spiritual life as a well of "living water" within. On one occasion, when Jesus knew "how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John," He left Judea and went back to Galilee. His trip necessitated going through Samaria. He came to a city of Samaria named Sychar, "near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph." Jacob's well was there, still giving refreshing water to weary travelers. The Scriptures tell us Jesus "was wearied from His journey," and therefore sat down by the well. It was about noon.
Suddenly a woman from Samaria came near to draw some water. As the Good Shepherd who had found a straying sheep, the Lord said, "Give Me a drink." The Spirit informs us He was there by Himself, for "His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food." The woman was startled by the request and replied, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" The Spirit adds, "For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." How would Jesus respond to this Samaritan woman? Will he have anything to offer her?
Our Lord responded, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you LIVING WATER." When she asked how this could be, seeing He had nothing with which to draw water, Jesus said, "whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him A FOUNTAIN OF WATER SPRINGING UP into everlasting life" (John 4:1-14).
"Living water" is water like a spring, or a well that is supplied by a spring. It is fresh water with no stagnation or contamination. As our Lord used the words, it is intended to denote water that gives and promotes life -- water that He alone can give. Once ingested, this water would become a veritable fountain, erupting like a mighty deluge into eternal life. This is not a temporal or passing experience, but one that blends with eternity itself. There is a continual fresh supply springing up within a frail earthen vessel.
On another occasion, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow RIVERS OF LIVING WATER.' But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John 7:38 39). What a marvelous expression: "RIVERS of living water!" The words seem contradictory. Ordinarily rivers, particularly rushing ones, do not yield fresh waters like a spring. This is a spiritual experience that parallels the time of the flood, when "all the fountains of the great deep burst open" (Gen 7:11).
"Living water" is water conducive to life--it sustains life. Because it "springs" forth, it is fresh and refreshing. It is also in abundance, flowing like the mighty river that issued from the wilderness rock, refreshing Israel of old (Exodus 17 and Numbers 20). It is also life giving like the river of water that flowed out from the altar of God in Ezekiel's vision of the healing waters (Ezek 47). Those waters "healed" and made whole everywhere they flowed. They were "living waters."
What spiritual reality is depicted by the term "living waters?" John informs us that Jesus was speaking about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to believers when Jesus was glorified. I suggest to you this is involved in "the mind of Christ." Paul associates "the mind of Christ" with being "spiritual"-- having the ability to discern the "things of the Spirit of God."
It is the Holy Spirit who gives us "the mind of Christ." Whether we are speaking of an Apostle receiving the initial message, or you comprehending the message, the Cause is the same. The Holy Spirit is the Agent, and the "mind of Christ" is the result of His work. Remember, the only Man fully recognized by God is the Lord Jesus Christ. We are received by virtue of our identity with Him (Eph 1:6). Too, the only mind God acknowledges is "the mind of Christ." Any other mind is simply unacceptable.
Spiritual mindedness is what brings life to the believer. Thus it is written, "to be spiritually minded is life" (Rom 8:6). Without a spiritual mind, spirituality and life are only an imagination! The person who does not think in accord with the Holy Spirit is not spiritual, profession notwithstanding! Being "spiritual" involves more than an outward regimentation. It includes death to the world order, and sensitivity to God (Rom 6:11).
Life involves emotion, but it is not emotion. Spiritual life is joyful receptivity in the Presence of the Almighty. It is involvement with God- and it comes through the faculty of spiritual mindedness--having "the mind of Christ." That "mind" is like a cleansing river that flows through and from the believer. It brings true perspective and rationality. It broadens the understanding and enables the individual to see "the invisible God" and an eternal "inheritance" that is "reserved in heaven" (Heb 11:27; 1 Pet 1:4).
PRAYER POINT: Father, thank You for the freshness of life in Christ Jesus!