Captivated
By Kelly Chesnut, Deeply Rooted Coordinator
Post date: Jan. 6, 2020
When our kids were young, we often went camping in the mountains of Colorado. The beauty of God’s creation was captivating — the sounds of a bubbling stream, birds singing, elk bugling in the fall. I loved setting up camp in that temporary home.
God has used the image of setting up camp to remind me of more than just his incredible creation; he’s used it as a metaphor for my thought life.
When someone has offended or injured us with their words, do we allow hurt to “set up camp” in our minds, affecting our perspectives and interactions with that person? Or do we let the truth of God’s Word take up residence instead to bring life and grace to our thoughts?
While we can’t control the thoughts that enter our heads, we can control what we do with those thoughts. And we need to be proactive in dealing with wrong thinking. That’s why I think the call to love God with all our minds is one of the hardest parts of maturing as believers. It’s easier to express our love for God when we are deliberately mindful of our actions, words and tone of voice.
But how can we be intentional with thoughts that just seem to pop into our heads?
We must first recognize thoughts that aren’t in line with the truth of God’s Word. As we acknowledge wrong thinking, we need to take each thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. In other words, we evict the wrong thoughts. We kick them out of our camp. But loving God with all our minds is more than just removing wrong thoughts; we need to replace them with God’s perspective, truth and love.
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
— Philippians 4:8 (The Message)
Let’s be a community of believers who love God with all our minds by remembering and meditating on the life-changing grace that is ours in Christ. When we align our thoughts with the truth of God’s Word, our perspective of our circumstances and of others changes. But most importantly, realigning our thoughts reflects our love for God.
Questions for Reflection:
What thoughts or feelings have you let “set up camp” in your mind?
Where do you need to realign your thinking and perspective with God’s?
What are you actively doing to fill your mind with noble thoughts?
Dive deeper into what it looks like to love God with all your mind in our devotional.
Para leer el devocional en español oprima aquí.