1 Corinthians 2:16  “for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (NIV)

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I have spent time with wise and creative people the last couple of days. Fortunately, this is true every day. The people I work with and those we serve are truly amazing. 

Yesterday, I spent the day on a focused project with a friend whose wisdom overflows in every conversation. He thinks on a whole different level than most people. He sees and hears with a clarity and precision that allows him to break down and rearrange thoughts and words into bouquets of beneficial beauty.

He blessed me with a day full of priceless counsel and insight. I walked away from our work together truly enriched. 

Years ago, I met a man who took to heart 1 Corinthians 2:16 and Philippians 2:5 more than I ever imagined possible. He decided to read nothing for a whole year but the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. He didn’t read any books or newspapers. (Ask your parents. News organizations used to print all the news fit to print, or so they said, and threw them in your yard if you paid the required fee.) 

He didn’t read baseball results and box scores. He averted his eyes from everything that didn’t talk about Jesus in those foundational Bible books. 

Why did he do this? Because he wanted to cultivate the mind of Christ. He wanted to think his thoughts after him. He wanted to think with him. He wanted to see and hear, touch and embody the mind of Christ. 

A friend of mine, upon hearing and considering this exercise, said, “That’s not spiritual. That’s mysticism.” I wish I had asked him to say more about that. 

I have never read nothing but the Gospels. Some years back, I spent a year reading my normal Bible-in-a-year plan and daily doses of the Gospels. That was quite profitable. Somewhere between Nothing But the Gospels and Extra Daily Doses of the Gospels is a good way to begin cultivating the mind of Christ. 

Another way is to put into practice what you already know and what you add to your learning day by day. Jesus’ words of truth and life are meant to be lived, not merely known. They are to shape our lives. They are to move from thoughts to behavior to lifestyle. 

What is one truth from Jesus you can work on implementing deeply today? Go to the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7 if you require an idea or two. In fact, you could take those chapters verse by verse and paragraph by paragraph for a good long time with great profit. 

Here’s a possible starting place: Matthew 6:9 begins what we call the Lord’s Prayer or the Model Prayer. It says, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

What does it mean that God, Jesus’ Father, is our Father? How does that shift our perspective on how we live life?

What does it mean that God is our Father? With all the rotten fathers on TV and in real life, why would Jesus want us to consider God our Father?

What does it mean that he is our Father in heaven? How does that distinguish him from every other father? 

What does it mean to hallow his name? 

When Jesus teaches us how to think and pray this way, how does that shape our lives? How does that condition our expectations? How does that renew our hopes and relieve our fears?

What does it mean to approach God as Father with the confidence and affection born of complete trust and assurance?

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I will cultivate the mind of Christ.

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Our Father, teach me to think with Jesus day by day so that I may think like Jesus in every way. Amen.