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Loving God with all our mind

I wonder how many of us can relate to the story of the man with a flat tyre and no car jack, who by the time he got to his friends house to borrow a car jack had already convinced himself that his friend was not going to be happy with the disturbance and ended up shouting at the poor friend even before asking for the jack.

Our mind plays a significant role on our outlook on life. I know occasions when I have felt someone was annoyed with me because of their attitude and later found out they didn't even see me, whilst I had spent the week wondering what I did. If we allow it our mind can lead us to places we never intended to go and on the other hand if we train it, it can help us truly appreciate all the wonderful things that God has in store for us.

Our mind is the seedbed for all our thoughts and there are three important things we need to know about our thought life:

• God knows all our thoughts and the limits of our thinking (Psalm 139:2; 1 Corinthians 3:20). The writer of Isaiah states that God's thoughts are different from ours.

• God can change our thoughts (Check out Romans 12 and see what the writer states in verse 2 especially)

• We are responsible for our thoughts – one important lesson to learn in our relationship with God is knowing the things that are our responsibility and those that are His. In regards to being responsible for our thoughts check out 2 Corinthians 10:5

The truth is if we leave our mind to its own devices we might never achieve the fullness of what it means to have the "mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16). That is why Paul in his writing to his beloved Philippians church tells them in one verse eight things they need to think about to enable them to develop the mind of Christ which ultimately will enable the believer in Christ to love God with all his mind.

As you look at these eight things, on the positive side celebrate the areas where you are already strong and thank God for that. On the challenging side look at one area where you need work and commit it to God and work with him to think on such things and see the difference that that brings into your life.

Have a good week and join us next Sunday when we'll be exploring 'loving God with all our Soul.

Here is the talk from last week.