Renew

Romans 7:15 NLT

I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

Before we were born again and had the Holy Spirit we knew what was right and wrong based on what had been programmed into us during our upbringing-the years up until we found Jesus. The jews had the law and that told them what was acceptable behavior and what was not.

When we accepted Jesus into our heart and believed He is the Son of God who came to save us, we were still following the moral code we learned. Now we have the Bible to show us the jewish law including the ten commandments. Jesus fulfilled the law and gave us two commandments--to love God and to love each other. In doing that we fulfill all of the law the jews attempted to follow.

Even though we now have Holy Spirit, the spirit of Christ in us, we still mess up. Our born again person is totally free. Our old man is still under the same moral patterns. We know what is true, what is right and wrong in God's eyes. And yet our muscle memory kicks in and we still do those old things, especially when we are around those we spent time with before we became a born again believer and follower of Jesus.

We try to do what is right, but we fall into the same old traps because our mind has not been renewed to the mind of Christ. You see, it is not about just having knowledge of what we should or should not do. As we build our relationship with Jesus, and this occurs over time in His word, communion with Him, and fellowship with others on this same journey, our mind becomes more like the mind of Christ. Renewal occurs a little bit at a time. Then it is not longer about the knowledge of wrong. It is about us no longer wanting to do those things.

Thank you Jesus for continually renewing my mind so I think and act more and more as You.