A renewing of your mind...

Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Thinking a new way...not our natural way but a new way.  God has been speaking to my husband and I not by sermons or special speakers but in unusual ways that we "just happen" to come across. 

For instance...yesterday was music lesson.  I picked up the nearest book to take along to read.  It was the "Tramp for the Lord" book by Corrie ten Boom with Jamie Buckingham.  I've already read this book or so I thought.  I opened it to chapter 11 "Lights from Darkest Africa" and started to read a story I must have skipped.  I only got half way through the story until the music lesson was over.  I book marked the page and thought nothing of the story again until this morning.  My husband and I were discussing a problem where in a business deal someone took advantage of our daughter and cheated her.  My husband spoke to the men and they were now giving him the run-around. As we were discussing how to handle this...The story from Corrie's book came to mind.  I read it aloud to my husband.

In Africa. there was a Christian man who lived in a hut along with his large family. This man's neighbor hated him and every evening set the Christian's grass roof on fire.  The Christian was able to put out the fire each time.  The Christian never said an unkind word to his neighbor and showered him with love and forgiveness.  This made the neighbor hate him even more.  One night there was a wind and the fire spread to the neighbor's house.  The Christian put out both fires and in the process badly burned his hands and arms.  The chief of the tribe found out and had the neighbor arrested.  When Corrie was told the story she was relieved that the family was no longer in danger.  But the Christian man, holding up his burnt hands, prayed, "Lord, I claim this neighbor of mine for You. Lord, give him his freedom and do the miracle that in the future he and I will become a team to bring the Gospel in our tribe. Amen." 
A few days later, Corrie led the jailed neighbor to Christ.

The way the Christian handled the situation would not be the world's way of handling the situation.  There had to be a renewing of his mind for him to think and react this way.  Not natural but supernatural. 

Matthew 6:32 - 34 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

May the Lord continue to renew my mind to think first of His kingdom.