I Think Therefore I AM
I received a parcel at work from a customer in Japan, and inside, attaching some papers together, was a triangular paper-clip. It seemed so exotic. Stationary from the Orient. I had already figured out that they do not use our standard sized 8 ½ by 11 inch paper. Theirs is longer. But this was different. I imagined a whole triangular world over there – triangular file-folders, triangular calculators, triangle shaped phones… I was explaining this to a friend and afterward, he told me that you can buy them at Staples. My triangle world came crashing to the ground.
Imagination can be dangerous. I think we forget sometimes that our minds are fallen too. Our thinking has been clouded by the same sinful nature that affects our desires and dispositions. Our minds are carnal, naturally. The Lord has said that not only are his Ways higher than our ways, but his Thoughts are just as out of reach of ours. “As the heavens are from the earth…” My mind created a triangle-land with absolutely no facts to work with, other than the connection between the address on the box and the things inside. I assumed wrong. We can easily assume wrong when it comes to spiritual things as well.
So, how does one become spiritually minded? Well, you can’t use your natural mind to do it. That’s like trying to get orange-juice by squeezing a tennis-ball. The only way to be spiritually minded is to let Christ do the thinking for you. Paul talks about this in his letter to the Philippians. He said, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” Now, he wasn’t saying, “Put the mind of Christ in you” because how do you do that? The same idea is here that we also find when the Word talks about being filled with the Spirit. In Ephesians it says, “be filled with the Spirit” which could be translated, live in the light of the fact that you are actually filled with the Spirit. The original language reads, “be being filled with the Spirit.” So with “Let this mind be in you…” we can render it as, let the mind of Christ that is already in you, be your mind for you. Let the mind of Christ do your thinking.
This may sound confusing. But the truth is, believers are to live an exchanged life. To the Colossians, the Spirit wrote, “when Christ who is your life appears, you will appear with him…” Christ IS your life. He lived a perfect life already, so that you don’t have to. He thought perfect thoughts too. Now, this does not mean that we become complete automatons, robotically mimicking Jesus’ earthly life. But there is value in understanding that our new life in Christ includes a mind – clear and clean, learning Christ and maturing in Him to govern the rest of our new life. The mind of Christ is actually in you, because HE is in you. Allow room for His thoughts.
When I pause to give the Lord space this way, I find myself considering things that should have been so obvious before: be a better employee, a better husband, a better father, a better friend… and lots of practical ways to do it appear in my mind. That’s the mind of Christ who “took on the form of a servant…” Our minds can get crowded with so many useless thoughts. I’m glad the Lord was way ahead of me on this. He put his mind into me when he saved me, so that it would be here when I came to my senses. Well, I’m off to Staples for some triangular paper-clips.
BJ
Imagination can be dangerous. I think we forget sometimes that our minds are fallen too. Our thinking has been clouded by the same sinful nature that affects our desires and dispositions. Our minds are carnal, naturally. The Lord has said that not only are his Ways higher than our ways, but his Thoughts are just as out of reach of ours. “As the heavens are from the earth…” My mind created a triangle-land with absolutely no facts to work with, other than the connection between the address on the box and the things inside. I assumed wrong. We can easily assume wrong when it comes to spiritual things as well.
So, how does one become spiritually minded? Well, you can’t use your natural mind to do it. That’s like trying to get orange-juice by squeezing a tennis-ball. The only way to be spiritually minded is to let Christ do the thinking for you. Paul talks about this in his letter to the Philippians. He said, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” Now, he wasn’t saying, “Put the mind of Christ in you” because how do you do that? The same idea is here that we also find when the Word talks about being filled with the Spirit. In Ephesians it says, “be filled with the Spirit” which could be translated, live in the light of the fact that you are actually filled with the Spirit. The original language reads, “be being filled with the Spirit.” So with “Let this mind be in you…” we can render it as, let the mind of Christ that is already in you, be your mind for you. Let the mind of Christ do your thinking.
This may sound confusing. But the truth is, believers are to live an exchanged life. To the Colossians, the Spirit wrote, “when Christ who is your life appears, you will appear with him…” Christ IS your life. He lived a perfect life already, so that you don’t have to. He thought perfect thoughts too. Now, this does not mean that we become complete automatons, robotically mimicking Jesus’ earthly life. But there is value in understanding that our new life in Christ includes a mind – clear and clean, learning Christ and maturing in Him to govern the rest of our new life. The mind of Christ is actually in you, because HE is in you. Allow room for His thoughts.
When I pause to give the Lord space this way, I find myself considering things that should have been so obvious before: be a better employee, a better husband, a better father, a better friend… and lots of practical ways to do it appear in my mind. That’s the mind of Christ who “took on the form of a servant…” Our minds can get crowded with so many useless thoughts. I’m glad the Lord was way ahead of me on this. He put his mind into me when he saved me, so that it would be here when I came to my senses. Well, I’m off to Staples for some triangular paper-clips.
BJ
posted by BJ at 9:12 a.m.
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