Rays From The
Rose Cross Magazine
Obedience
Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).
Sometimes our thoughts behave like a fluttering flock of wild
birds. They flit about aimlessly, lighting first here, then there.
Especially when the hands are busy in routine tasks does the mind
dart about, often with little direction or purpose.
Times like these can become times of mental and spiritual
discipline if we will make the effort to bring "into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ." Instead of allowing
our thoughts to drift with little or no direction, and often into
critical and negative paths, we can capture them and teach them
to be obedient to the guidance of the Christ within.
We may heed Paul's advice in Philippians 2:5-8: "Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who . . .
took upon himself the form of a servant, and . . . humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death."
"The purpose of life is to transform the powers latent
in the Ego into dynamic energy, whereby it may perfectly control
its different vehicles and act as it pleases. We know that it
does not have full sway now, or there would be no warfare in our
breasts, as we say, between the Spirit and flesh. But in reality,
we should say, between the Spirit and the desire body. It is this
warfare that develops spiritual muscle, as wrestling builds physical
muscle. It is easy to bid others do this and that, but to enforce
obedience from oneself is the hardest task in the world, and it
has been truly said that `the man who conquers himself is greater
than he who takes a city.'" Christianity Lectures, p. 59
Routine work that allows the mind freedom gives us a wonderful
opportunity to control our thoughts; to learn to develop a constant
awareness of God within; to learn, too, to immediately dismiss
un-Godlike thoughts; to refuse to dwell on the negatives, the
criticisms, the irritations, but to dwell instead on the positive,
the loving, the Godlike. Bringing our thoughts into captivity
to the obedience of Christ is really bringing them into a state
of freedom and power. For only when we are one with Christ are
we living freely and joyfully.
Captivity to Christ is true freedom.
— Rays from the Rose Cross Magazine, September/October, 1995
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