The Mind of Christ (5)

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” John 17.17

Devoted?
When I purchased my new computer a while back, I immediately committed it to the work to which God has called me. I resolved that this computer is going to be worn out in the service of the Lord – writing columns, emails, website materials, study guides, books, and poems; mentoring and teaching; developing a wide range of resources; and whatever else God gives me to do as part of my calling in Him.

Don’t ask to borrow my computer so you can play video games on it, or surf the web for Internet porn, or even watch a movie. This computer is mine, and I have set it apart and devoted it to one cause, one use, and one agenda; nothing else will be tolerated as long as I’m the owner of this computer.

I’m sure you feel pretty much the same way about your own computer. You don’t want it used for anything other than the purposes for which you acquired it.

Well if we’re so proprietary about our computers, how must Jesus feel about the mind He has entrusted to us and the anointing He has sent to dwell in us! Surely He has specific purposes for each of these, that it would displease Him to see them used for anything else?

Are we as devoted to His purpose for our minds as He is?

Jesus’ concerns
In John 17, the great high priestly prayer of the Lord, we can discern a summary of Jesus’ primary concerns – the things that were heavy on His mind in those last hours of His earthly sojourn, concerns that He wanted His disciples to take up as well. What was on His mind in those crucial hours, and therefore, what should be the guiding force for the use of our minds as well?

First, the glory of God: Jesus desired above all that God should be honored and His glory known (Jn. 17.1, 4, 5). He devoted His life to the glory of God, and in His prayer, we see Him seeking God’s glory for Himself and His disciples. We are using our minds for God’s glory when our thinking, and all the products of our thinking – our plans, words, and deeds – are focused on honoring Him.

Devote your mind to the glory of God, so that God is glorified in all the everyday details of your life (1 Cor. 10.31), and God will fill your mind with the mind of Christ.

Second, the redemption of the world: Jesus was on His way to fulfill God’s redemptive plan, and He committed Himself to completing that great work (vv. 6-10). Thus the mind of Christ in us must also be dedicated to working out our own salvation, and seeking the salvation of the world (Phil. 2.12; Lk. 19.10). When we think about the state of the world and the lost people in our lives, do our hearts burn with longing, and our minds bristle with ideas concerning how we might help them to know the saving love of Jesus?

Finally, the good of His people: As Jesus was burdened in His high priestly prayer to see safety, peace, unity, and sanctification come to His disciples (vv. 9, 10, 17, 21), so must we, as we employ the mind of Christ in us to transform our lives and the lives of those around us.

Bring your mind under the mind of God
The glory and will of God must be the guiding focus in the use we make of the mind of Christ. We are not thinking with the mind of Christ, but living out of the old mind, if we allow anything other than the concerns of Jesus to determine what we think, how we plan, and what we decide or choose. Whatever we are learning as disciples of Jesus, we need to make sure it’s not just for our amusement, but for reaching others with the love of Christ for the glory of God and their redemption.

Bring your mind under the Word of God, seek the peace and wellbeing of others, listen for the guidance of the Spirit of God, and set your course to think on and do the will of God, for His glory, in every area of our lives.

We are not free to use the mind of Christ merely for selfish interests or frivolous diversions. It may be in our souls, but it’s Christ’s mind, and He has told us how it must be used.

For reflection
1.  How might you prepare each day to focus on the three priorities of Jesus?

2.  Spiritual forces of wickedness, of course, will try to divert you from these priorities, and encourage you to think mostly about yourself. How will you deal with this?

3.  How can prayer, used throughout the day, help you to keep focused on the priorities of the mind of Christ?

Next steps - Transformation: How much of your own thinking is guided by these priorities: the glory of God? The salvation of the lost? The good of God’s people? What’s one thing you could do in each of these areas to improve this focus?

T. M. Moore

This is part 1 of a multi-part series on the Christian mind. To download this week’s study as a free PDF, click here.

How’s your Christian worldview? Are you stretching your mind to think about life and the world as Jesus does? Our free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, can provide the categories, terms, and framework for you to begin nurturing a more expansive Christian mind. For more information and to register, click here.

The mind of Christ is set for the Kingdom of God. Is yours? Our book, The Kingdom Turn, provides a concise and practical overview of what it means to live for Christ from within the framework of His Kingdom. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.