The Law Of Replacement

The Law of Replacement is a universal law that declares that whatever is taken, must be replaced (or you will run out). This law has application to both the physical as well as the spiritual side of life.

While looking for some items I needed at our local Dollar Store this morning, I noticed the shelf, which contained two items that I needed, was almost empty, with only one item left. I communicated to the sales associate, the need to replace those items that were obviously popular with the store's customers, and order some extra stock, so the store wouldn't run out.

In a retail business, you quickly learn to over order on stock that quickly flies off the shelves (to have plenty of inventory on-hand), because if you don't, you will quickly go out of business (see inventory guidelines here).

Conversely, the same Law of Replacement holds true in the spiritual realm. If any evil and impure thoughts we harbor, are not replaced with good and pure thoughts, we will soon be out of business with God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 1:21-28).

As an example, note Saul's (his Jewish name) evil and negative thinking process in Acts 7:54-60; Acts 8:1-4, in comparison with his replacement (thanks to the Lord's intervention) of a good and positive thought process in Acts 9:1-31, specifically noting vs's 26-29. As a result of that replacement, the text in verse 31 says that that the churches in Judea, Galilee and Samaria experienced (1) rest; (2) edification; and (3) multiplication. Several years later, we see Paul's (his Latin name) continued remorse for persecuting the Lord's church in 1 Corinthians 15:9; Philippians 3:6; Galations 1:13; 1 Timothy 1:12-13.

Beloved, is their any negativity in our thinking? If we have such, we need to immediately replace that kind of thinking with the positive thinking we find in Philippians 4:8-9, and then firmly and positively believe the spiritual principle found in John 15:5; Philippians 4:13).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets