The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Mandate of the Mind"
It should not be surprising when the mindless suggest the notion that, according to their view, an unconscious universe somehow evolved conscious beings, including themselves.
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalm 14:1).
Of course, many people who hold this perspective are highly educated and even brilliant people in many ways. This is not to discount or disrespect their mental abilities. However, as mentioned in yesterday's message, the old saying is most certainly true: "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." Just as certainly, a mind that does not ponder God in the light of His Spirit and His Word must be accounted as wasted and mindless in the context of its primary reason for existence.
"The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts" (Psalm 10:4).
This helps us to understand and respond to the times in which we live, wherein unbelieving materialists have so many means to aggressively communicate their views. Would we expect them to do anything less as those mindless toward God? The pride of their knowledge "puffeth up" (I Corinthians 8:1). They swell with assurance and bluster with arrogance because pride accompanies all knowledge that does not originate with God. We would not expect humility and fairness of consideration from those who disregard the One whose light blessedly leads us to humble ourselves before God and people. "The wicked… know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness" (Psalm 82:4;5)
As terrible a thing as it is to waste, a mind is a wonderful thing to devote to God. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God… with all thy mind" (Mark 12:30). In fact, of all the realities we must rightly address in our thinking, only one can ensure that we do not waste our brains. "Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee" (Isaiah 26:3). A "stayed" mind means that we direct the sails of our thinking to catch the wind of the Holy Spirit, as it leads us in the light of Scripture and the reasoned, rational thinking that acknowledges God and His truth. The ancient command to "come and let us reason together" only happens when we acknowledge the Maker of our capacity to reason, and the existence of our minds as His handiwork and scene of vibrant mental activity (Isaiah 1:18). In these days of bluster by those blind to God and His truth, let us devote ourselves to heeding the Apostle Paul's long ago mandate of the mind…
"Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are holy, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things."
(Philippians 4:8)
Weekly Memory Verse
Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men.
(Psalm 31:19)
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