March 27 I Sunday

Judges 1-3

Luke 4:1-30

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus...”   —Philippians 2:5

We all have a mind which enables us to think, feel and experience the world in different ways. Our minds are constantly evolving and learning. As we grow and mature, we gradually develop thought processes and patterns, which either remain constant or change because of varying environments and experiences.

      The Bible tells us God has a mind and, with the right practice and dedication, we can, to some degree, learn to think like He does. God acknowledges that our ways are different from His ways. In Isaiah 55:8, He says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.” In verse 9, He explains what the difference is. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” As far as the heavens are from the earth is an immeasurable difference! In the New Testament, Paul tells us, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25). Even if we were able to muster up the maximum in human wisdom and ingenuity with the best plans to succeed in life, God would tell us this is foolishness! There is, of course, still hope for us yet.

      God’s mind is set on the events and matters of the spiritual world, while our minds are usually focused on the tangible and the physical. We are stuck in the present, while God is thinking beyond to the future kingdom. The development of a spiritual mind does not happen overnight. It begins with understanding who Jesus Christ is and what He did for us. When we ask Him to come into our lives, save us from our sin, and bring us into relationship with Him, we can really begin to understand something of the mind of God.

      Essential to knowing how God thinks is getting to know our Bibles. By consistently absorbing Scripture and studying closely the dependence of Jesus upon His Father in everything He said and did, we can consciously change our worldly ways of thinking and acting to that of the spiritual. It is only by having the mindset of Christ that we are able to see beyond the present and become the spiritual person God wants us to be.

      As a man on earth, Jesus was God incarnate who experienced life from every human perspective. As we examine His time on earth, we gain an understanding of life on earth from His divine perspective. It is by the Holy Spirit’s revelation and direction that we begin to think with the mind of God, and this is what gives meaning and purpose to our lives.

Prayer: Almighty God, thank You for the Holy Spirit who gives divine revelation and direction. I pray for the continual nourishment and renewal of my mind through Your Word, as I seek to see things from Your perspective.