Serendipitous Thoughts by "Sugar Bear " 3/28/22

 "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,  but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night". Psalm 1:1-3

 By the 1980’s, the infancy of the internet, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) had begun connecting people across the world, and email “hosting” sites began to pop up, clamoring for their piece of the pie. For many new internet users, electronic mail was the first practical application of this exciting new medium. That’s when I received my first email from a friend saying ,”it’s evident our political views aren’t in sink”. That’s the first encounter with polarizing politics. For me it signaled a continued worldview based on pigeon-holing my humanist , as an attributes. which I identify as a stigma, based on race. Especially when its discrediting effect is very extensive; I felt to be ordinary and natural but the attitude that this so called “normal”  friend had toward me with this stigmatizing question really made me focus on this day-after-day conversation as a source of a metaphor and imagery not suited for me as a Christian. 

 

Even though it was an exercise of a form of stigma to explain or justify worldly inferiority the danger it represented was based on difference, such as social class. Was this a mission to cause shame, a victimhood mindset and  to reinforce a split between self-demands, a patriot  and character; Or a fact in self- hate and self-derogation, occurring especially when “I “and a mirror were beginning to meet eye to eye? 

 

“You see as I awaken in this metaphoric tete,-a-tete I had to learn to walk again, and went to a long mirror to look at myself, all by myself. I didn’t want anyone to know how I felt as I saw myself for the first time as a “Child of God” there was no noise, no numbness caused by the world, no outward crying; I didn’t scream with rage or meanness. With the help of the holy spirit, I saw myself for the first time on a journey with Jesus”. It is a question/word of what is often, if dimly, recalled by the world, “Acceptance”.

 

As I thought about the unprecedented  inquiry I couldn't help  but hear the following words with the help of the Holy Spirit:Whom do you belong to? Who are you? and What is your Why? “Reacting with Grace”

 

"Fear belongs to Satan, not Jesus. So,  Sugar Bear  focus today on your “Why”, whom you belong to and who you are? What defines me and that was a struggle to answer at that time ; which is a Positive-Mental-Attitude with the mindset of Christ. If Jesus is the one who helps us not to fear, his mind will give us great insights into how this happen . So my identity is, "I am a Child of God "with a mindset of Christ.

 

You ever wonder what is involved in the mindset of Christ? Who it is  given to or how it's understood?

 

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”. Romans 12:2 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 2:5 “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”. 1 Peter 1:13

 

Having this mind of Christ is very different from thinking the way the world thinks. This is where I am concerned for so many of our neighbors today. If you struggle like me with being double-minded, and you can admit it, you are almost there where the old self will fall away and  if you don’t cling to it will begin to have a threshold of change that renews your mind 24-7 to Christ. 

 

The reason that I tell you this during this season of thought, is this: do not let your politics guide your theology, but instead allow your theology to guide your politics. If politics guides your life, you are of this world and not of God. Even the Church has become enamored with the “thoughts of men”. For me I see the obstacles in the way that prevent us from having openness and honesty to speak and manage  our Christian Faith in a predominantly faithless context. You see,, the mind of Christ stands in sharp contrast to the wisdom of man.

 

Psalm 1:1–3 teaches that those who properly respect God's Word will enjoy spiritual prosperity and spiritual success. it teaches that those who properly respect God's Word will enjoy spiritual prosperity and spiritual success. These words echo what God promised Joshua, if he would meditate upon God's Word and obey it (Joshua 1:6–9). Psalm 119 also teaches the importance of devoting oneself to God's Word and the blessings that accompany that obedience .

The mind of Christ involves wisdom from God, once hidden but now revealed (verse 7). The mind of Christ is given to believers through the Spirit of God (verses 10-12). The mind of Christ cannot be understood by those without the Spirit

 

Instead of letting the words of the ungodly influence one's thinking, a blessed person wants God's words to influence his or her life. Reading and obeying the Scripture is extremely important to the blessed person. Such a person doesn't merely give God's Word a cursory reading or an occasional reading—he or she digs into it, whether it is daytime or nighttime.

 

Worthwhile meditation does not require a person to empty his or her mind. Scripture does not support the idea of self-emptying in meditation—godly meditation means filling the mind with Scripture. To meditate on 

Scripture involves pondering what the Bible teaches about God's character. It involves thinking deeply about what His Word teaches about ourselves and others. As we meditate, we cherish the promises and precepts we find in the Bible, we heed its commands, we confront our sins and confess them, and we conform our thoughts to God's thoughts.

 

The blessed person is not influenced by the words of the ungodly, but is deeply influenced by God's words. It’s a very dangerous place to be as a believer. Suspended between Christ and the world. 

 

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, Philippians 3:5

 

In order to have the mind of Christ, one must first have saving faith in Christ  (John 1:12, 1 John 5:12). After salvation, the believer lives a life under God’s influence. The Holy Spirit indwells and enlightens the believer, infusing him with wisdom—the mind of Christ. The believer bears a responsibility to yield to the Spirit’s leading (Ephesians 4:30) and to allow the Spirit to transform and renew his mind (Romans 12:1-2). 

 

God Bless You and This Ministry

 

 

                 Serendipitous  

Thoughts by Sugar Bear 3/14/2022

 

“And he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about”.1 Kings 7:23

 

This scripture talks about the “sea” as a large metal bowl. The round in compass suggests a circle. The thirty cubits is the circumference. The ten cubits is the diameter. The formula we learned in school is Circumference = times Diameter. Here, circumference/diameter = 30/10 = 3, which suggests the Bible says pi equals 3. We know the value of pi is an infinite decimal whose first few digits are 3.1415926. We usually round this to a value of 3.14. While this makes me pause mentally. As well as scripturally, I say to myself , what is the goal of this root? Ah as I have an Eternal breath of Life., Transformed me into his likeness “Jesus is Lord” and trust and behave.

 

Mercy’s hand of the Holy Spirit give me a reminder  today as I have a serendipitous thought because it is pi day and  Pi is a pretty cool mathematical constant. But the word “pi” makes me pause on “feel” good . And makes me think of the most important thing ,”Christ”; Loving God and loving people, that's definitely the most important. They are so closely tied to each other that in Matthew 25:40, Jesus points out that the act of love you do to someone else, you are actually doing that to Him. So part of how I love God is wrapped up in how I love you. So, today I will give you a piece of pie.

 

 Pi is a number that , in all likelihood, continues on forever and ever, containing all possible numerical combinations imaginable. This beautiful number from god which is such a  neat unending ratio if it’s true then the circumference divided by the diameter should equal three plus a little bit more. This is an incredible ration because it works for a circle of any size it shows god’s consistency. The same formula applies no matter what the size of the circle.

 

I have to admit, as I think about the concept of pi ,I daydream about the uniqueness of Christ His character, his purity , selfless, sinless and endless. Jesus also proved His divine character through His immeasurable love, an unconditional love unique in history. He willingly offered Himself as a sacrifice for all sin and evil, and He gave the free gift of everlasting life to every person who would accept it.

 

As I remind you using a biblical view of mathematics with a piece of “pi” it is based upon the fact that God in Christ created all things and that “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” Colossians 1:17. Remember  God is the source of all knowledge, and He is the one who gives meaning to all of creation. that god’s love for us is also consistent and it doesn’t matter how big or how small you are or how old or how young, how rich how poor the same laws of god apply . He died he sent his son and died on the cross for your sins so you could be saved. Let pi remind you  today of god and as believers be mindful of God’s grace in your life and have total dependence on him.

 

Knowing your God-given identity gives you confidence, self-esteem, and awareness. Knowing who you are and Whose you are changes everything. If you knew that you were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), that would change the way you view yourself. 

 There sometimes is a lot of empty space between dimesons of what I am and what I can do on my own, and who I become when God intervenes. I suppose I’m like many of us, unaware of my limitations, the holes in my faith, the doubts in the back of my mind—until life sneaks up behind me and unfurls a veil of difficulty over the whole thing. Sometimes, a dark night of the soul is the one and only way God can get my attention.

Admittedly, it sometimes takes longer than I’d like—like waiting for the collard greens to simmer themselves to tender. No rush. He woos me from the burned up edges of my faith, and I am grateful to find myself eating from the center of the pie.

Make the pie you make, be chock-full of fruit! With the Mindset of Christ! Wouldn’t it be great if our lives, and all the lives around us were just as chock-full…overflowing with the fruit of the Holy Spirit?

God Bless You and This Ministry!