December 22, 2018 ● 18-12
Matt. 22:37: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
Phil. 4:8: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Col. 3:1-2: Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Loving God, “with all your mind” is the essence of discipleship; but what exactly does that mean? Paul to the churches in Philippi and Colossians encouraged them to, “dwell” on what was good, honorable, right, pure, etc., and to set their minds on what was above where Christ is. In Psalm 1, David wrote the man whom God prospers is the man who takes delight and mediates on the Word of God.
Loving God with my mind means I am reading God’s Word, understanding God’s Word, and applying God’s Word in my life for spiritual growth. This understanding and application comes through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. When I am studying for sermons or even in my devotional time, I simply pray and ask God to help me understand His Word, and He does. It is amazing how God works by His Spirit through His Word in helping us understand. Think about it this way: why would God give us His Word and leave it to us to try and figure it out, all the while expecting us to live a life that honors Him? Apart from the counsel of the Holy Spirit there is no way we will understand and apply God’s Word, there would be no way we could love God with our minds.
Loving God with my mind also means my thought life honors God. No doubt there are times in the day when my thoughts probably do not honor God because I get mad or upset about something. It is in those times I have to ask God to forgive me and help turn my thoughts to honoring Him.
One word of caution: make sure you are loving God with your mind from His Word and not what someone wrote about His Word on the internet. There are many helpful devotions, pod casts and sermons on the internet, but nothing takes the place of God’s holy, inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word.
One good way I have discovered that helps me love God with my mind is journaling. I have journaled on and off for years; currently I am journaling through the Psalms. Journaling does not have to be a lengthy discourse on theology. Simply writing down how God’s Word spoke to your heart with one verse or a couple of verses is an easy way to journal. You will be amazed at how journaling helps you think on God’s Word and love God with your mind.
I want to encourage you to allow God’s Word to equip you to love God with your mind.