The Mind

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians4:22-24NIV

Everything we do has its genesis in our minds. Decisions are made often during the day, some are good choices, and others not so good, but before it was an action, it was a thought. Our minds can be a minefield unless we use some kind of control, and that’s not easy. In fact you can be forgiven for thinking it’s not possible.

I’m sure we all have a tendency to let our minds wander around the things we would like to happen, and we did that a lot in our youth. That car, the well paid job, and yes, that lovely girl or boy that was just out of reach! Not being able to have these things didn’t stop us day-dreaming, did it? And for the most part it was harmless because no one else knew our inner thoughts, so no one was embarrassed, least of all ourselves!

The verse today tells me what we do with our thoughts can be, and is what forms the attitude of our minds and therefore our actions, and then we are essentially “created to be like God.” What a place to be. Be careful, not a ‘God Double’ or a ‘God Twin’, but created to be like God and all because of the way we are ‘made new in the attitude of our minds.’ God wants us to follow His example, and He wouldn’t give us a goal or target we could not reach. The key is the attitude of mind, straining towards holiness, but we need to want it first.

What an example and legacy if others could say about us that we have a Godly attitude of heart and mind, and it shows. To that end, let’s put on the new self where God can use us as an example to others, and help introduce them to the Kingdom of God. I suggest there is no better use of our attitude of mind, and it isn’t a day-dream either!