Gravitating toward a worldview that is bitter, cynical, selfish or hopeless will fail to challenge us in our Christian life. We will never grow if we allow these things to dominate our way of thinking, and will not experience the full joy that God promises.
The truth is, no matter how natural it seems to allow our minds to dwell on the negative, it is not what we were meant for. God has something much better—a renewal of the mind and heart, the ability to experience the fullness of the life God offers instead. To accomplish this, the Apostle Paul directs us to set our minds on eternal things, to develop an affection for God’s truth and peace (Colossians 3:2). How does this happen?
The writer of Psalm 1:2 provides us with a huge piece: “[The blessed man’s] delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” It’s vitally important that we dive into God’s truth daily and listen to what He speaks through it, to carry it with us throughout the day, to push our minds to dwell on it as often as we can.
We hear this a lot, and maybe it sounds tiresome sometimes. But there is a very real goal: by concentrating our minds and efforts on promoting God’s truth in our lives, we start becoming more like Him—we begin to have His mind, His intention. Without the Bible, without communicating with God, without “exercising” our minds, we can’t do that. The only way to grow is to choose what’s right, even when it seems hard.
And the great thing about it is there is a real delight that will develop. It will begin to be easier to spot negative and unspiritual thinking, and effectively resist it. We get to trade in the old, tired way the world thinks for the exciting creativity and insight that comes from a Christ-focused lifestyle.
—Mark Knoles