02/21/12 TWO OBSERVATIONS
#1 Few Seek Spiritual Success
While there are only a few people who pursue excellence in sports, business, physical fitness, performing arts, academia, there are almost none who commit themselves to spiritual excellence.
#2 Minor Investments
Many who have potential for greatness (in any arena) settle for natural attainment (reaching only mediocrity), rather than sacrifice for greatness.
The Tragic Result: Few Champions for Christ
1 TIMOTHY 4:8
8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
SPIRITUALLY MINDED
One reason it is important to be spiritually minded is because the things (truths, revelations, secrets) of God are spiritually discerned. Therefore, if we are not spiritually minded we cannot receive, understand, appropriate the word of God, the ways of God and the will of God. This kind of ignorance renders us to be less fortunate than a microbe, for a microbe exists for a moment and is gone, forever; but a person with no spiritual understanding, suffers eternally without God.
SPIRITUALLY MINDED OR MATERIALLY MINDED
Are You Spiritually Minded (regenerated by the Holy Spirit) Or Carnally Minded (focused on the sensual, material world)? (See especially vss. 6, 8, 9, 13, 14).
PASSAGES...
Romans 8:4-16
(4) That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
(5) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
(6) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
(7) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
(8) So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
(9) But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
(10) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
(11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
(12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
(13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
(14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
(15) For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
(16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
YOUR CHOICE
Are You A "Natural Man" (an unsaved person); Or A Spiritual Man (a person with the mind of Christ)? (espicially vss. 12, 14, 16).
1 Corinthians 2:12-16
(12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
(13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
(14) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
(15) But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
(16) For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Launch Out and Hold Fast,
Pastor David L. Gould
