Mind

Meditation and Memorization

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment
Image from Grace Chapel

During the Cold War, many Christians in Eastern Europe would memorize entire books of the Bible and then destroy their copies. They had to do that because they would have either been arrested, sent to prison camps, or disappear. There was no room for God in the Soviet Union or their satellite states. To have any God other than those in power was akin to a crime against the state itself. Still, in places like North Korea, China, Vietnam, Iran, Indonesia, and more, the persecution towards believers forces them to absorb as much of God’s word as possible because they can’t risk being caught reading openly. For those of us not living under the tyranny of a radical theocracy or a commnunist system, memorizing scripture can still serve an important role in our journey of faith.

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11 ESV

Knowing God’s word…I mean really knowing it…helps us in the war against sin. Satan, our flesh, and the cultures of the world are constantly whispering, and often yelling, messages in our ears that lead us into sin. By memorizing scripture, we give ourselves a weapons cache to fire back. Jesus demonstrated this when He allowed Satan to tempt Him in the wilderness. Every temptation was met with God’s word. The only way we can do the same is to know how to distinguish messages that line up with scripture and those that do not. A huge fault I see in so many Christians is an utter lack of biblical knowledge. I’m not referring to seeking a degree in theological studies. I’m talking about a lack of knowing what is said in the Bible. When we don’t know what God says, we’ll believe what those opposed to Biblical principles say.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Joshua 1:8 ESV

We can’t live out scripture if we don’t know scripture. Every believer should be a student of their Master. To meditate on scripture is to meditate on the Lord Himself. The more we focus on the story of God the more we know Him. The more we know Him the more we love Him. The more we love Him, the more we live for Him. Just as any relationship thrives on attention and communication, so to does our relationship with the Lord. Our lives of devotion should be a pattern of prayer, reading, and praise.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2 NIV

Our mind is a battleground. Our mind is also malleable. We have the ability to make it into what we want. And since so much of what we say and do is determined by the mind, why not pour more energy into making it a core of light. From the moment we start absorbing things as a child, negative things creep in. We have to fight for hope. We battle for purity. We war for compassion and generosity. The nature of the fallen mind is to look inward, preserve self, seek comfort, elevate self importance or dwell on self pitty. Our minds need transformed. One of the best ways to do that is through meditation and memorization of scripture. That, in turn, will help us to focus on pure and truthful things. Our eyes will turn outwards towards those around us. Our self importance will diminish, yet at the same time, we will feel more loved and valued than ever before.

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15:7 NASB

To abide in Christ is equated to having Christ’s words abiding in us. This isn’t a reference to Christ dwelling in us, it’s a call to know His words. To abide means to obey, stick to, hold to, and follow. When we are so intuned with Christ and His words, then our desires will be His desires for us. The things we ask for in prayer will align with the holy life that Christ is calling us to in the first place.

So whether we live in an area where the Christian faith is heavily restricted or even persecuted, an area where affluence and apathy attempt to shadow the call of piety, or an area where freedom allows us to live out our faith, it is equally important to pursue a rich understanding of God’s word. As followers of Christ, we are called to love Him and to make Him known. We can’t do either if we don’t know Him. No one else has ever loved you more. No one else crafted you. No one else pursues a relationship with you like Jesus does. The greatest gift in this life will be to know Him.

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters.

Toxic Thoughts

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

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This world offers a lot of opportunities to add toxic things to our lives. From food to entertainment, we are faced with a barrage of choices. You don’t have to go far, often just the click of a remote or mouse, and your being filled with things that not only don’t benefit you, but can even tear away at you emotionally and spiritually. Over the next few posts, I’d like to share with you my journey through detoxing my life. A lot of what I will be sharing started three years ago when I went through a devotional on the youversion Bible app. While the journey to detoxify started way earlier, this devotion helped me to target areas of my life in a very specific way.

The mind is definitely the control center of our bodies. When it’s shorting out, the rest of us is out of whack too. I’ve experienced that far too often. That’s why this first post is all about the toxic thoughts I’ve had to battle with and how God has been helping me through it. I’m not going to share all of it but a few of the big struggles.

#1- I constantly battle with thinking that it is all up to me to provide for our family.

God’s response: I am the one that had and always will be your source of provision. The pressure is off.

#2- Thoughts of always needing to be productive with my time otherwise it’s a waste.

God’s response: some of the most productive time is spent at rest, and in prayer, and alone with me doing nothing but sitting at my feet.

#3- Feelings of being overwhelmed, exhausted, and stretched too thin.

God’s response: Let me renew you each day. Focus more of that energy on me. Do more of the things that bring you into my presence.

In reading my top three, it’s probably clear to you that my problems were all related. The object goal of my life was way out of order. I have always had to wade through having a scattered mind. I have ADHD so my mind is always in overdrive. That makes it difficult sometimes to slow down. I need to have a goal…a destination…to keep me zeroed in. Otherwise, I’m all over the place. My goals have been providing for my family, being the best husband and father I can be, doing the best at teaching and my business, and being there for others. I’m not saying that those are bad goals, but none of them deserve the top spot on my priority list. That was my biggest fault. I was, and sometimes still do, miss out on the biggest object goals of my life. Here are some verses that have helped me refocus and ones I still fall back on nearly every day. You might want to read the verses for yourself because I’m just sharing what they tell me about where I am in life.

Matthew 6:33 tells me that the object goal of life is pursuing His kingdom and His righteousness before all else. God is the one who then adds to all of our needs.

Matthew 11:28-30 says that the object goal of life is Christ. Learning from and following Him gives us rest from life’s heaviest burdens.

Psalm 18:31-32 tells me to look to God who will give me strength, direction, and place me where I need to be.

Psalm 62:1-2 encourages me to wait and stand firm in God knowing that He provides salvation and defends me.

Psalm 127:1-2 says that the object goal is to partner with God and what He is doing in this world, not to continually strive on my own. Then He prospers my way and gives me rest.

Isaiah 40:28-31 reminds me of where my strength and endurance comes from…a life focused on God.

The mind is a minefield that can easily spell disaster each day we wade through our thoughts. They fuel insecurities and motivations. As the saying goes, “as a man thinks, so he is.” What better to think about than God? What better to think about than His purpose in my life? He has to be where our minds go first and most often. That’s the best way to detoxify our minds.

Where does your thought life take you? How has God encouraged you? I’d love to hear your story. Please comment and share so we can all be encouraged. Cheers!

Rest is a Mindset

~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

peace-of-mind

It doesn’t take a nap to rest. We don’t have to be stationary to be revived. Some of my greatest moments of rest are while I’m working out, or washing windows while plugged into a sweet podcast, reading a good book, or The Good Book. I can rest while helping others or running a class of 30 high school kids or playing with my own children. Truth is, we can rest anywhere. Rest has nothing to do with activity, and everything to do with thought. While physical rest is important, mental rest is what our bodies thrive on.

Focus on Others

Perhaps the greatest drain on our lives is worrying about things, anything, everything. Most of the time we are worried about ourselves.

 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:4 ESV

Focus on Heaven

Life from the perspective of eternity radically changes a lot. Temporary circumstances don’t carry quite as much weight when we realize that our life never really ends. Every soul is eternal. Life spans aren’t an average of 75 years, they’re forever. Even our most difficult trials are but a blink of an eye in light of the glory to come.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Colossians 3:1-2 ESV

Focus on Mission

For the follower of Jesus, we have one mission, to love and lead. Jesus demonstrated what sincere godly love looks like. Then he asked us to do the same and to lead others into a relationship with Him.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

Mark 12:30-31 ESV

Focus on Identity

In Christ, we’re all a new creation. We have received acceptance and unconditional love. We all screw up but that can never change who we are…we are His. A lot of stress comes from trying to prove ourselves or earn love and acceptance from family, friends, or coworkers. But we already have love and acceptance from a far greater source.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Brothers and sisters, may you find rest in what He’s done, Who He is, and who you now are. You are free, loved, and accepted. You have a purpose and value. There is meaning to your life, a life that lasts forever.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV