You’re the firstborn! You’re the most honourable, glorious and blessed person in the whole universe! Abba will bring many sons to glory. This plan has come true for us! Hebrews chapter 12 says the following about the Lord, “…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame…” (Hebrews 12:2) New Jerusalem is His joy ahead! This city is also called the Bride. He desires for the Bride. He desires for us to love Him with the heart of a darling. Our wholehearted love for Him is His joy ahead.
The Lord infinitely loves the Father. We are the true born sons of Abba, the firstborn. We are simply the most precious people in the whole universe, more precious than any other group, including the saints in the Old Testament.
You ought to mind the things that are above. Let your heart be influenced by the truth, and listen for God’s love towards you. Not only should we see the truth, but we also need to know that He has already given you His love. You have the highest position in God’s heart. You are the firstborn, fellow heirs with Christ.
I’d like to call out some key points to help with your meditation. The Lord told the woman of Samaria to worship God in spirit and truth. Truth is the true reality and facts. This includes the things above. How could you sin if your mind was occupied by truth? Thoughts of sin will no longer be in your mind. To prevent bad thoughts from entering your mind, we need to do more than simply say NO to them. When our heart is not satisfied, we are more susceptible to temptations and sins. But, when your heart is filled by the truth, you will know how much the Lord loves you, and you will be drawn by Him!
Worship shows how you treasure God, embrace Him, and have love fellowship with Him. The truth and knowledge of God’s heart towards you will impact you. It will lead you into real worship, and you will be drawn to worship. You will feel His preciousness and be attracted to Him. How can you sin when you are in such a condition? Furthermore, you will be able to overcome the flesh. You will know that the lusts of the flesh waste your time, and bring you pain. If you were far from God, you would have no strength to do what pleases Him. Apart from Him, you cannot do anything. Your spirit would have no enjoyment. Wouldn’t that be a big loss?
In order to gain Christ and enjoy the Lord, Paul counted everything as loss. Even though the Lord belongs to you, you gain nothing if you don’t enjoy Him. For example, imagine that I gave you a very delicious and nutritious meal. It wouldn’t do you any good if you just kept it in the refrigerator. It would mean nothing to you because you hadn’t tasted it or enjoyed it. The Book of Hebrews tells us that the Lord is the enjoyment of our spirit. He doesn’t just exist in our minds; He is a living person. He does not simply stay in our mind. Colossians chapter 3 verse 4 begins with the words, “When Christ who is your life…” (Colossians 3:4) We need both our mind and spirit to enjoy the Lord. When your mind and heart are set on Him, you cannot sin. You enjoy His provision in your heart and think of Him.
Every time we think about the Lord, our thoughts are not trivial thoughts. Psalm chapter 1 begins with, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord…” The law of the Lord is truth. The verse finishes by saying that the author “… meditates day and night” on the law of the Lord. Those are not empty thoughts. When you meditate, you are in a state of praying, because you are thinking of Him. It will also be hard not to respond to Him. These two cannot be easily separated. This is why the poet says that the person who “meditates day and night…is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” (Psalm 1:2-3) It means you will enjoy His provision.
Truth is very important. Satan attacks you through your mind. He affects your mind and tempts you through your thoughts. By doing so he draws your heart away from the Lord. He tempts you not to believe in the Lord, to think that temptations can satisfy you, and that it’s better to follow the temptations than to obey the Lord. However, even if we can discern right from wrong, we still cannot rely on ourselves. It’s more important to rely on the Lord. The Bible says, “…in him my heart trusts, and I am helped…” (Psalm 28:7) It means your heart is connected to His. You need truth to help you stay close to Him, and to strengthen the connection with Him. You need truth to strengthen your heart, so that you will be attracted to enter a deeper love interflow with Him. When you give Him the opportunity, He will act. When you turn your heart to Him and meditate on Him, He will continue to open your spiritual eyes. In fact, when you do this, you are practicing praying unceasingly. Your attention and mind are on Him.
Actually, you don’t just use your mind, because your mind is part of your spirit. They are not separate things. I’m just trying to spotlight how your mind works to show you how your spirit works. If you know how to use your mind properly, your whole life will change. The Book of Romans says it clearly: “…be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” (Romans 12:2) This is very true!
Your mind does not work independently. It’s a part of your spirit. Everything works together as a whole. Sometimes, even without talking, you and the Lord can enjoy each other. For example, when you receive a letter, you feel happy because you know the sender is thinking about you. Similarly, the Lord’s love for us is behind every truth. He enjoys our thoughts. Our meditations are pleasing to Him. We should rejoice in God. When you think of Him, your heart will be attracted. Verbal expressions are not necessary for love interflow. But of course, you should feel very free to talk to Him anytime.