...be thus minded

                There is no greater way for me to start a day than to take time to pray and meditate on the word of God while I walk or run. The other morning was the best time I had yet. Mixed with many prayers was a time of meditation in the word of God.  I asked the Lord to give me something from His word to meditate on. This is what He brought to my mind…

James 3:2  For in many things we offend all.

                I had heard this verse spoken on once before and it was brought back to my mind. The word “offend” is translated from the Greek word “ptaio” which is pronounced (ptah –yo).  It means to err; to sin; to fail; to fall; to offend; to stumble.

                In many things or in many ways we all err, sin, fail, fall, offend and stumble. It was worded to me this way, “we all stumble in many ways.” How true that is! As long as we live in these sinful, fleshly bodies we will stumble. There is no getting around it. When we do stumble and sin the Holy Spirit will convict us. Upon Holy Spirit conviction, we must confess our sin to Him and seek His forgiveness so we maintain good fellowship with Him. Then we need to get up and move on. Too often we stay there sad because we failed.

Proverbs 24:16  For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:

                Due to our sin nature we will stumble, yet we are to get up again. We don’t need to stay there feeling sorry for ourselves, wishing we had not sinned.  We will fall…we will get up again. When we do we are to think like Paul.

Philippians 3:13-15

13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are left behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

                We always need to be moving forward in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We can learn from the past…we should learn from the past, but we don’t need to stay there. When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and we need to press forward toward the mark for the prize which is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.