While walking and going over my memory verses the other day, I came across Colossians 3:16. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…” The word ‘let’ caught my attention. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly? I thought. But the next verse on my memory cards stuck out even more. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You…” (Isaiah 26:3) Mind stayed on God? What does that mean?
I took on the challenge to learn, “What is God teaching me through His Holy Spirit?” I began researching what exactly does it mean and how do I let the Word of God dwell in me? To have my mind stayed on God?
I wondered who else memorized Scripture, and did they run across a perplexing verse? I discovered that Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, did. It is evident when he said, “This I call to mind and therefore, I have hope…” (Lamentations 3:21) I realized again how important it is to memorize Scripture; to protect my mind, to guard my thoughts, since they influence my actions and overall well-being.
I had to admit to myself that I had let my thoughts dwell more on landscaping than on Jesus and His Word. Although it wasn’t evil thoughts that distracted me, the results are the same. In hindsight, I could tell I was drifting away like a boat loosed from its mooring. I realized that only when a boat drifts far from its anchor, does it get noticed. I had to row my boat back to shore; back to its mooring.
Romans 12:2 came to mind. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. I learned that means to actually change the way I think, aligning my thoughts with God’s will.
Suddenly it seemed like every verse that either came to mind or that I had read concerned the mind as though they were printed in bold print. For instance, Colossians 3:2 (ESV), “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, Rita.” In other words, focus on Spiritual things rather than on worldly things.
This verse led me to 2 Corinthians 10:5 that says we are to take every thought captive to obedience to Christ Jesus. Take every thought captive? Back to searching Scripture to understand what that looks like. I discovered it means to capture our every thought and surrender it to Jesus so that my thoughts align with God’s Word. This does not happen on its own just because I am a Christian. It takes intentional thought control and awareness of how much time I spend thinking about earthly things and how much time is devoted so spiritual matters.
The Bible has a lot to say about the mind and can be capsulated in ten words: “Never let your mind have a mind of its own.” A mind left to itself is like untying your boat from its mooring. You could be stranded in the middle of a lake in the midst of a fierce storm and have no life jacket. Then what?
My goal for writing this blog was to alert my readers to the danger of letting the mind have a mind of its own. It will always lead a person away from his Anchor.
I leave you with these words of Jesus found in Matthew 22:37, “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”