"How We Think"

 

    "To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).

 

    Are we thinking about the many issues of our lives in accordance with the spiritual mindedness that leads to "life and peace?"

 

    In our present existence, the answer is yes and no.  Certainly the devoted born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ views and ponders many matters spiritually, that is, in faithfulness to God and His Word.  The Holy Spirit works in believers to accomplish this vital component of our relationship to God, and doubtless He successfully forms in us thoughts of truth and light.  It remains true, however, that a work in progress continues throughout our earthly lifetime, particularly in the matter of how we think.  "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18).

 

    We do well to pray often about how we are thinking about the particulars of our lives.  Are we viewing God rightly?  Ourselves?  Our relationship with Him?  Our relationships with others?  Our responsibilities?  Our families?  Our possessions and finances?  Our habits?  Our free time?  The list could go on and on.  How we think about everything matters, and again, our minds inevitably contain a mixture of truth and falsehood. 

 

    A good prayer to consistently utter to God asks Him to confirm and enhance in us those thoughts that accord with His Spirit and truth.  We also trust Him to correct and root out thinking that originates with the world, the devil and the flesh.  King David of Israel understood this necessity of the ongoing work of God in leading us to the life and peace that flows from a mind consistently presented to our Lord for His examination.  We do well to join him...

 

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

(Psalm 139:23-24)