I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)
1 Timothy 4. ” Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe” (Verses 7-10). We train our bodies to stay healthy, to stay young, to stay strong. We do the same for our minds. However, we often neglect to train our spirits. Here Paul tells us physical training is of some use, but it is temporal and limited. But training our spirit to be godly will last not only in the present, but in the age to come. Physical training = temporal and limited. Spiritual training = everlasting and limitless. Mmmmm…I wonder which I should choose?
To train your mind is to train your spirit.
I believe that in the other direction: To train your Spirit is to train your mind. I’d rather be spirit led, than mind led. My mind’s a little… 🙂 Thanks for the comment. I appreciate feedback. Makes me think.
Ok, let me ask you a question: How do you train your spirit?
Through God’s word and communication with God (prayer). As I fill my spirit with God’s perspective and wisdom. It feeds my mind. Gives me a different point of view, a different way of looking at situations. Because I gleaned from God’s resources.
You just proved my point.
Before we came to follow The Messiah (Christ), we thought like the world (many of us still do). The world taught us what is right and wrong, what has value, and what is important. We was taught by the world, and we operated by what we was taught, so you can say we was led by the spirit of the world.
The mind and spirit are one, but what you have or haven’t been taught determines what type of spirit you have. If I believe stealing is ok, then I will steal. It wont be until I am taught stealing is wrong that I i change my ways.
Now that we are pursuing to walk in the Messiah’s footsteps, reading his teachings (which takes the mind to do), and applying his teachings to our lives, we will have a different mindset which means we will have a different spirit. We will begin to be led by the spirit of Messiah.
“And have put on the new man, which is RENEWED IN KNOWLEDGE after the image of him that created him.” – Colossians 3:10
How do you gain new knowledge? By using the mind.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – Romans 12:2
Another version say, “By changing the way you think.”
You will never have a new spirit about you unless you be taught something new.
“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a teacher?” – Romans 10:14
Lets rephrase your words: “As I fill my mind with God’s perspective and wisdom, It feeds my spirit.”
Let me share another perspective to clear any confusion.
There is this parasite that can control the mind of different animals after it is consumed by the animal. Say the mouth of the animal is the mind, and this parasite is the spirit. Lets say this parasite is a parasite of love (lol). Now say a rabbit ate this parasite (The rabbit eating the parasite is a metaphor of us gaining knowledge), and it takes sometime for the parasite to get to the brain, but once it does it takes control of the rabbit’s mind, and now this rabbit is going around loving everything in its sight. (lol)
Us as human, if we are taught how to love, and walk in that teaching, we will have the spirit of love.
I understand what you are saying. I also agree (wholeheartedly) that when we come to Christ His Spirit has to change our mind. I also believe you have to learn God’s ways and understand that it is different from what the world teaches. But I don’t believe that the mind and the spirit are the same. I define the mind as your brain and your brain power. I define your spirit as the who you are meant to be, your character. That part that innately knows right from wrong. The “real” you, the part of you where God’s Spirit dwells when you open your life to Him. I like your rabbit parasite analogy, made me smile. But it also kinda seems to prove my point. In that the spirit has to take control of the mind (or in your analogy enter it), before the rabbit (of whom I have yet to meet a loving one 🙂 Bitten twice by rabbits), can love. Also in Romans 12 its starts off by saying, that we have to make our bodies a living sacrifice. We do this by renewing mind. But don’t see this as God saying our mind rules our spirit. I still see it as our mind being changed by Spiritual things. I agree with everything you’ve said, fundamentally. I just think our definitions of mind and spirit are different. Thanks for sharing this. I will use this analogy at some point. At the end of the day as long as we both know that it is God who sits on the throne, and that Jesus came to give us new life, then we can survive having differing views on the mind and the spirit.