But to every man there openeth,A high way and a low,And every mind decideth,The way his soul shall go.
One ship sails East,And another West,By the self-same winds that blow,Tis the set of the sails And not the gales,That tells the way we go.
Like the winds of the seaAre the waves of time,As we journey along through life,Tis the set of the soul,That determines the goal,And not the calm or the strife.
Jesus taught that if our eye, or the way we see things, is healthy, then our life can be filled with happiness. But if the way we see things, if our outlook or mindset is messed up, there is no end to how dark our life can be.
A Believer becomes new creation at the point of salvation, but that new man does not automatically have control over the old, but still present, sin-nature. Sanctification is the process of putting to death that old sin nature so that Christ can reign in us… a Believer with God's Word incorporated his/her heart is Word-driven and Spiritually centered, free from the power of sin.
As Jesus sent His disciples out into a world that would be hostile to them, that would imprison them and beat them and kill them, what they needed to succeed wasn't a new car, or perfect teeth or a retirement plan. What they needed to live successfully (as God defines it) was The Comforter.
When Jesus calls you/me into ministry (any kind of ministry; Romans 12:4-8), what will be our response?Will we immediately make the step of faith? Or will we hold back (making the usual excuses)?When Jesus makes the call, do we have our minds set for service?