What's on Your Mind?

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Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." (Mark 8:31-33, CEB)

What are you setting your mind on today?  Is it on things of this world or is it on what you can accomplish for the divine world? Before we even get out of bed each morning, we set our minds on what will happen during the next twenty-four hours. At times, we don’t even realize it. Many days we find ourselves on automatic pilot and simply go through the day like we did the day before and the day before that. It takes a lot of courage to set our mind to do the work we are called to do—and unfortunately, sometimes we get sidetracked.

Take this scene in Mark, for instance. Just a few verses before Jesus rebuked Peter, Jesus told Peter that he was the rock upon which he was going to build the church. To be the foundation of Jesus’ new church—what a wonderful mission! But like Peter in this second scenario, we sometimes may not like what is being said to us and try to argue about the mission to which he has called us. It is easy to get sidetracked and lose our way when we feel uncomfortable even as we half-heartedly try to do the work we feel called to do. Ultimately, however, what God wants most of all from us is to be more for the Lord. In a few weeks, we will begin the season of Lent. Lent is to be a time of reflection. It is a time for self-examination as we prepare to relive the sacrifice of Good Friday, the day on which Jesus was arrested and crucified. I encourage you this Lenten season to choose a book of the Bible to read and meditate on. Don’t simply read the words but ponder each and every one; really let the words, the phrases, the scene of that passage and its meaning soak in. Or if you prefer, spend 40 days reflecting on just one passage that hits you, that speaks to you of your walk with Christ. Read it every day so that it becomes a part of you.

If you are looking for examples, consider the Sermon on the Mount. Last year I read it every morning and was amazed at the impact it had on how I looked at the world around me; how it illuminated what I needed to do to become more like Jesus in my walk. Consider some of the more popular Scriptures such as the 23rd Psalm, the book of John, a portion of the Proverbs, the books of Romans, or something as short as Hebrews 11:1. Better yet, dig deep in the Word and find a hidden gem that you’ve never before considered. I pray that you find a piece of Scripture that can change your life forever.

Praying for a good week for you all,

Pastor Bill