Life Marks: Getting a grip on your mind
It’s baseball season, and whether you watch a game from the bleachers or on TV, you notice that the batters will often put on a glove or douse their hands with powdered rosin in order to get a firm grip on the bat. If you get a good grip, then the chances of hitting a single or even a home run are greatly increased. Well, it’s the same with our minds — if we are going to live successfully and honor God in the process, we need to “get a firm grip” on our minds.
Although the Bible gives us plenty of things that we need to avoid, God wants us to concentrate on those things that will bless us and honor Him. Contrary to popular belief, the Bible is much more focused upon the “do” than the “don’t.” And so, while we are to be cognizant of the areas in which we can be deceived, we are to focus our minds on those things that will enable us to live meaningful and productive lives.
Remember the time when Jesus asked His disciples their opinion of who they thought He was, and Peter confidently asserted, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”? (Mt. 16:16). Well, you may not remember the next part when Jesus proceeded to tell them that He was going to Jerusalem where He would be handed over to the authorities, crucified, and later rise again. Peter strongly objected saying, “This will never happen to you.” Jesus rebuked Peter, telling him that he was speaking as if he were Satan himself, and then told him that his problem was that he was setting his mind on man’s interests, not God’s (Mt. 16:21-23).
Well, that’s it in a nutshell. It’s a natural tendency to want to focus our attention upon our own interests, not God’s. Something needs to change in our thinking, and the Apostle Paul recognized this, not only in his own life, but also in the lives of every Christian. Simply put, our minds need to be “renewed,” so that our lives can be “transformed.” In writing to the Church in Rome, Paul said that we must not be “conformed” to this world, but be “transformed” by the “renewing” of our minds so that we may know and experience what is good, acceptable, and perfect (Rom. 12:2). In case you missed it – life transformation is the product of the ongoing process of “mind renewal.” Paul emphasized this again in another letter to another church that our minds need to be continuously “renewed” (Eph. 4:23). What does this mean?
We often talk about a person’s “mindset,” meaning a person’s consistent attitude toward certain situations, an attitude that may be either good or bad. So that we can avoid developing a “negative” mindset, the Apostle Paul encourages us to “set our minds on the things of God.” In this way, we will develop a proper and healthy “mindset,” a mindset that produces both “life” and “peace” (Rom. 8:5-6). There is no question that Paul felt that this issue was absolutely crucial for every Christian, and so he reminded another church about the same thing, “…set your minds on things above, not on things that are on the earth” (Col. 3:2).
But what about those consummate pessimists and negative thinkers? You know, we’ve all been around them, and after a while, the conversation turns pretty depressive. It’s a little like the creation story which tells us that before God created light, “….darkness was over the face of the deep” (Gen. 1:2). Who wants to live like that, always looking on the “dark” side of things? And so, once again, the Bible tells us to not focus on the negative, but to “…let our minds dwell upon those things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, excellent, and of good reputation” (Phil. 4:8). Notice that Paul says that our minds need to “dwell” upon those things, not just “occasionally think about.” Now, the really good part is the result. If we practice thinking in this manner, God, who is the author of “peace,” will guard our hearts and minds, keeping us on the right track (Phil. 4:7).
Finally, I’m sure you remember the incident when Peter he got out of the boat and began walking on the water toward Jesus (Mt. 14:22-33). Well, the minute he took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on the wind and waves crashing around him, he began to sink, only to be rescued by the One who called Him out on the water in the first place. Of course, the lesson is simple – We must keep our eyes on Jesus, focusing on Him and His purpose for our lives. The writer of the Book of Hebrews reinforces that incident on the Sea of Galilee when he tells us to always keep our eyes (the “eyes of our mind”) focused upon Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).
How is it possible to do this? Like the Bible says, we need to have our minds “renewed,” and that can only be accomplished when you and I ask God to do it. This isn’t the kind of thing where you squeeze your eyes shut, grit your teeth, and strain to think “positively.” No, it’s something that God has to do, and He does it if we ask him to. If you are already a follower of Christ, then ask God to continue the “renewing” process that He already began at your conversion to Christ. And if you are not a follower of Christ, then ask God to not only change your thinking, but also change you. That’s what we call repentance, and that’s the beginning point of getting a “grip on your mind.” So, put on a glove, spread some rosin on your hands, and ask God to help you get a grip on your mind! The impact of such a change in your thinking just might turn a strike-out into a home run!
