WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 Samuel 16:7

"…man looketh on the
outward appearance,
but the LORD looketh on the heart."

A SANCTIFIED MIND (1)

Human soul, heart and mind are mingled together in one human being. Thus, God commands us to love Him with our whole being. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment" (Mark 12:30). Man’s mind includes his thoughts, knowledge, wisdom, intelligence, understanding, observation, judgment, reasoning, deduction, imagination, memory, etc. His heart includes his love, affection, feelings, zeal, enthusiasm, desires, lusts, tempers, etc. When we talk with somebody, our mind usually takes note of what he says and does and how he behaves. Then our mind may make some judgment about him: whether he is friendly, gentle, polite and smart, or whether he is unfriendly, impolite and boastful. This leads our heart to have either warm or uncomfortable feelings about him. Do we love our Lord with our mind and our heart? The Lord said to Samuel, "man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart" (1 Sam 16:7).

Due to the Fall of Adam and Eve, the human heart and mind are naturally rebellious against God. Our heart and mind are concerned about themselves and the things of the world. We use our knowledge, understanding and reasoning to support what we like to do and even to reason and argue against God and His creation, to criticize God’s Word and to misjudge others. It is vital for us to put away our sinful and carnal mind, and instead, to be filled with the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil 2:5). Thank God for giving us His only begotten Son including His life, His mind, His righteousness, and His all. "But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16). That is why Paul regarded all things but loss to win Christ and to be found in Him (Phil 3:8-9). Praise the Lord! Then, what is the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ that we should have? First, let us know the truth about our human mind so that we may willingly separate ourselves from our corrupt mind and let the Lord fill us with His holy mind.

THOUGHT: My mind must be renewed and sanctified each day.
PRAYER: Lord, please renew and sanctify my mind each day.