Christian Living
Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday June 10, 2010
A man criticized me one time for putting "too much emphasis on the mind" in my sermons. I felt at the time that given his mind it would not take too much time to fill it, thus the criticism. I was blessed from his remark as I took the time to study the subject of the mind as it is mentioned in the Bible. I am now in my dotage and even more convinced that the mind/heart connection in the Word of God is too much neglected.
I do not recommend an unbalanced ministry but I suppose it would be possible to preach from a few scriptures relative to the mind for an entire ministry spanning a half century and never really reach the depth, the heights nor the breadth of meaning in these scriptures. For instance how long could a man plumb the depths of Romans 12:2
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
If you think you can do this in three minutes have at it and live on in your ignorance. One verse in particular will take a lifetime of diligent study to even begin to grasp. Notice Philippians 2:5:
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"
Factor in the context and you will see the near impossibility of fully understanding the verse well enough to totally communicate the truth therein.
Over the years I have observed and experienced the truth stated by the Apostle James in his epistle concerning the preference of being "single minded." James 1:8:
"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
In chapter 4 James lays out a list of devastating sins at the feet of the double minded person. Many, if not all of our personal sins are attributable to double mindedness. We are described in the old adage popular when I was a boy, and the adage fit me to a tee: "On again off again Finnegan." Jesus called this trait, lukewarm.
A healthy scripture filled mind is worth working on. Cicero said:
"The diseases of the mind are more and more destructive than those of the body."
Think about it.
Larry Lilly Copyright © 2010 Use with credit
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 666 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Larry Lilly or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 666 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.