“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,…” Philippians 2:5 (NKJV)
What was I thinking?
Perhaps you’re like me and have wondered at times how you could have been so absent-minded, wrong-headed, misinformed, or thoughtless. For example, I left the apartment on Sunday morning to go to my car to come to church for a meeting. I was deep in thought about the events of the day, my sermon, people with whom I needed to speak, etc. as I got on my way. The next thing I knew I was halfway to the Zoo train station! With my mind focused on something else, I had absent-mindedly forgotten what I was doing and where I was going. When I came to my senses, I laughed at my mistake and went to find my car.
On a different level…but in the same way…we are absent-minded, wrong-headed, misinformed, or thoughtless about our journey of following Jesus. At worst, we buy into lies and un-truths that have their origins in our selfishness and/or the sins of others and we are blindly going a different direction. We may say we’re following Jesus, but we’re headed the wrong way. We need to come to our senses and renew our minds!
Paul says we need a “mind transplant,” that is, replace our minds…our thoughts…with the mind of Christ…the truths of God. Instead of seeing things according to the lies and untruths of selfishness and sin, we should look at things from the perspective of God’s truth. Our thoughts should conform to the truths of God.
How do we change our patterns of thinking? Below are some suggestions that assume that you will invest the time and effort necessary to cooperate with God’s work in you to transform your thinking. It won’t happen automatically. No, you have to devote yourself to being in God’s presence, getting into the Scriptures, and meditating on its truth. It will require that you surrender yourself to the indwelling Holy Spirit in order to partner with God’s work in your mind.
Review the list below. Reflect on the meaning of each statement. Let the Holy Spirit make it come alive in your mind. Then, by faith, begin to experience the transformation…the sanctification…that God wants to work in your life to make you more like Jesus Christ in your thinking.
- List your thoughts— prayerfully reflect on the thought patterns underlying your feelings and actions
- Identify selfish tendencies of “My Mind”—ask the Spirit to convict you of self-centered thoughts, un-truths, and worldly lies
- Get rid of “My Mind”—pray that Christ will transform your mind by eliminating lies, un-truths, and worldly thoughts from your thinking
- Have the “Mind of Christ”—pray that the Spirit will shift your perspective to that of God’s truth as seen in Jesus Christ and in Scripture
- Take action—follow Christ’s mind rather than your own; experience truth and put into practice God’s truth
May you have the mind of Christ,
Scott Corwin, Pastor
Sunday’s Sermon Slides: Renewing My Mind