December 9th~Mind Renewal

Colossians 1:24-4:18

We finished Paul’s letter to the Colossians. His focus was primarily on how to live the new life we have in Christ. He illustrated his challenge with the Old Testament ritual of circumcision. “When you came to Christ,” he wrote, ”you were ‘circumcised,’ but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure, the cutting away of your sinful nature... You were dead because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive in Christ. He forgave all your sins” (2:11, 13).

The control-center of our lives is our spirit. Our spirit directly influences our mind, and our mind controls our will, our words, our emotions, and even our body. Therefore, we could say that the spirit of a man is the master of the man. Whatever or whomever controls the spirit of a man, controls the man. Praise God that He chose to “rescue us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of His dear Son” (1:13, 14). The Holy Spirit has taken residence within us. He now influences our lives, as we surrender to Him.

Though our spiritual nature has been regenerated, our flesh has not; our mind, will, emotions, and body are still rebellious to God. None of these things will be made perfect until we are in heaven; so then, there is a constant struggle between the Holy Spirit and our unholy, sinful flesh. They both vie for control of what we think, what we do, and what we say. We will endure this struggle for the rest of our earthly lives.

Though our spirit (heart) has been changed, it takes a lifetime to sanctify (purify) our mind. Since birth, our mind has been under the influence of sin, and though we are saved from the penalty of sin, we still deal with the presence of sin, which is demonstrated in our self-centered, worldly thinking. Thus, Paul exhorted us “not to conform to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Romans 12:2, NASB). As John MacArthur said, “God is in the business of mind renewal.”

Daily Reflection

While Satan must concede your spirit to God, he battles fiercely for your mind, to keep you from living life the way God expects. Thus, God’s Word exhorts you to “love the Lord with all of your mind” (Mark 12:30), to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5), and to think on those things which are “true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and of good repute (Philippians 4:8). Even in today’s passage, Paul wrote, “Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth” (3:2).

It is clear that after salvation, the primary battle for believers is in the mind. That’s why Paul warned us to put on the helmet of salvation, to protect our mind from the schemes of the Devil. What do you think is the best way for you to renew your mind? What would God say?

Paul wrote, “Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise” (3:16). If you do not renew your mind through regular meditation on the Scriptures, then your mind is unprotected and vulnerable to the lies, deceptions, and warped philosophies of this world. Scripture is the mind of Christ. To think like Him, you must think like the Word of God.

BiAY.org | Day 343 — 22 Days to Go