ADVENTURES IN GOD

”Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” Romans 8:3-8

I am blessed by my senior Pastor in many ways but the number one reason is his availability. He is, as 99% of pastors are, a busy man yet he is never too busy to speak with a member of our church family. When coming in for my appointment, I have often been greeted with a smile and “What’s on your mind?”

The human mind is defined as “consciousness manifested in thought, perception, emotion, will, memory, and imagination.” The definition encompasses a lot, doesn’t it? Do you remember a few years ago when there was a series of commercials that ended with “a mind is a terrible thing to waste?” In the 3^rd through 8^th verses of Romans 8, Paul compares the mindsets of sinful man and godly man. In “my” version of the New Testament verse 8 would say, “God believes that the mind of the sinner is a waste.” Let’s compare:

*Carnal Mind*		*Christian Mind*
Controlled by sinful desires		Directed by the Spirit
Is Death		Is life and peace
Hostile toward God		Seeks God’s will
Disobedient to God		Obeys God
Can not please God		Pleases God
Stressed, guilty, vengeful, covetous		Deeply joyful, forgiving, content

It is difficult for me, with my memory lapses and unfinished sentences, to comprehend that the knowledge of Einstein, the creativity of Shakespeare, the wisdom of Freud, and the imagination of Disney is futile and worthless in the sight of God, unless their minds were cleansed by the blood of Jesus. The mind of Charles Darwin, brilliant yet blasphemous; his ideas changed the educational system forever but certainly not toward God, right?

I wonder, whose knowledge, creativity, wisdom, imagination, and ideas am I contemplating during my reading, viewing, and listening time? What’s on my mind? What’s on yours?

“Lord, Cleanse my mind, fill it with Your wisdom, and show me Your ways. When the world tries to invade it, give me power to fight it off. In Jesus’ name, Amen”