Set Your Mind on Things Above

Posted On May 30, 2021

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2 NIV

How do we become more holy? How do we learn to watch what we say and control what we do? How do we develop Christlike character? How do we discover God’s will? It all starts by changing how we think. When we learn to focus our thoughts on God and “things above,” we begin to be transformed. As we spend time with God, He begins to rub off on us. As we spend time in His Word, we learn more about Him and what He expects of us. As we listen for His voice, we discover that He is always speaking to us, guiding us into the wonderful life He has planned for us.

Romans 12:2 is a very special verse for me. It’s what prompted me to get serious about my spiritual growth. I was struggling and confused. I didn’t know God’s will for my life. I was hurting and I wanted Him to help me. I went to God asking Him what He wanted from me, and He said, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . .” So I listened. I began reading and studying Scripture, as well as the Christian books that had been sitting on my shelves for years. I took seriously the command to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV) and gave my thoughts to Him instead of letting them circle aimlessly in my head. I filled my mind with as much of Him and “things above” as I could. I listened for His voice and did my best to obey His instructions. And it worked. I began to be transformed. I started to discover His will for my life. His way of thinking started to rub off on me. I’m amazed at how He’s been able to lead me so far, and I’m only getting started!

He will do the same for you. If you are struggling to know God’s will for your life, I offer you the same advice He offered me: “be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . .” To that end, this week I want to share some of the teachings that have spoken to me. I want to let you fill your thoughts with “things above” and be transformed. I want to help you begin to discover the wonderful life God has planned for you. Happy reading!

“We learn God’s will by spending time in his presence. The key to knowing God’s heart is having a relationship with him. A personal relationship. God will speak to you differently than he will speak to others. . . . God reveals his heart personally to each person. For that reason, your walk with God is essential. His heart is not seen in an occasional chat or weekly visit. We learn his will as we take up residence in his house every single day. . . . Walk with him long enough and you come to know his heart.”
~Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment

“How do I live in God’s presence? How do I detect his unseen hand on my shoulder and his inaudible voice in my ear? . . . How can you and I grow familiar with the voice of God? Here are a few ideas: Give God your waking thoughts. Before you face the day, face the Father. Before you step out of bed, step into his presence. Give God your waiting thoughts. Spend time with him in silence. Give God your whispering thoughts. . . . Imagine considering every moment as a potential time of communion with God. Give God your waning thoughts. At the end of the day, let your mind settle on him. Conclude the day as you began it: talking to God.”
~Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment

“Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 CEV

“God is eternal. His Place is eternal. His Word is eternal. His people are eternal. Center your life around God, His Place, His Word, and His people, and reach out to those eternal souls who desperately long for His person and His place. Then no matter what you do for a living, your days here will make a profound difference for eternity and you will be fulfilling the biblical admonition to fix your eyes on what is unseen.”
~Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

“We can . . . spend time with God daily, hour by hour. To do so is not an impossible chore but an ongoing delight that will never disappoint. Yes, sometimes we will be more aware of His presence than at other times, but when we remind ourselves He is with us always, and He even indwells us, we’ll be amazed at His love.”
~Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

“An example of faith was found on the wall of a concentration camp. On it a prisoner had carved the words: I believe in the sun, even though it doesn’t shine, I believe in love, even when it isn’t shown, I believe in God, even when he doesn’t speak. I try to imagine the person who etched those words. I try to envision his skeletal hand gripping the broken glass or stone that cut into the wall. I try to imagine his eyes squinting through the darkness as he carved each letter. What hand could have cut such a conviction? What eyes could have seen good in such horror? There is only one answer: Eyes that chose to see the unseen.”
~Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”

Philippians 4:8 NIV

“You can choose what you think about. You can be the air traffic controller of your mental airport. You occupy the control tower and can direct the mental traffic of your world. Thoughts circle above, coming and going. If one of them lands, it is because you gave it permission. If it leaves, it is because you directed it to do so. You can select your thought pattern. . . . Guard your thoughts and trust your Father.”
~Max Lucado, Anxious for Nothing

“To a large extent, joy flows from a certain kind of thinking. Cognitive psychologists remind us that always between the events that happen to us and our responses to them lie our beliefs or interpretations of those events. This thought helps us to understand the irrepressible theme of joy in the New Testament. The New Testament writers were engaged not so much in some form of positive thinking as in what might be called ‘eschatological thinking.’ That is, they viewed all events in light of the Resurrection and the ultimate triumph of the risen Christ.”
~John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted

“The state-run convalescent hospital is not a pleasant place. . . . On this particular day I was walking in a hallway that I had not visited before . . . . As I neared the end of this hallway, I saw an old woman strapped up in a wheelchair. Her face was an absolute horror. The empty stare and white pupils of her eyes told me that she was blind. The large hearing aid over one ear told me that she was almost deaf. One side of her face was being eaten by cancer. There was a discolored and running sore covering part of one cheek, and it had pushed her nose to one side, dropped one eye, and distorted her jaw so that what should have been the corner of her mouth was the bottom of her mouth. As a consequence, she drooled constantly. . . . I also learned later that this woman was eighty-nine years old and that she had been here, bedridden, blind, nearly deaf, and alone, for twenty-five years. This was Mabel. . . . Mabel and I became friends over the next few weeks . . . . During one hectic week of final exams I was frustrated because my mind seemed to be pulled in ten directions at once with all of the things that I had to think about. The question occurred to me, ‘What does Mabel have to think about — hour after hour, day after day, week after week, not even able to know if it’s day or night?’ So I went to her and asked, ‘Mabel, what do you think about when you lie here?’ And she said, ‘I think about my Jesus. . . . I think about how good he’s been to me. He’s been awfully good to me in my life, you know. . . . I’m one of those kind who’s mostly satisfied. . . . Lots of folks wouldn’t care much for what I think. Lots of folks would think I’m kind of old-fashioned. But I don’t care. I’d rather have Jesus. He’s all the world to me.’ And then Mabel began to sing an old hymn . . . .”
~Tom Schmidt, as quoted in The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg

“When I meditate on Christ’s unfathomable love and grace, I lose myself in Him, and before I know it, I’m happy. . . . When we lose ourselves in God’s purposes, Jesus says we’ll find ourselves — and also eternal life, and therefore great joy . . . .”
~Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Colossians 3:2 NIV

“Imagine the vastness of the whole universe, and then remember that God simply ‘thought’ it and ‘spoke’ a word, and by the power of his will it all came into being out of nothing. God also maintains everything in existence. Creation is not just a ‘one-time’ deal for him. Because God ‘thinks’ things into being, he must continue to think about them . . . . If he stopped thinking about the universe, the universe itself would go out of existence. If he stopped thinking about you for just one second, you would go out of existence. What this means is that, at every moment of the day and every moment of the night, God is busy ‘focusing’ on you. He created you, but he didn’t stop there and ‘go on to the next person.’ His mind continues to concentrate on you, like a high-powered laser beam, even when you’re sleeping. This is one of the reasons that the great religions of the world have always taught that we shouldn’t spend so much time thinking about ourselves. We don’t have to be self-centered, because God is already doing that for us.”
~Anthony DeStefano, The Invisible World

God is actively thinking about each one of us all the time. Let’s try to do the same for Him. This week’s Scripture passages focus on renewing our minds by seeking Christ. As we focus our thoughts on things above, we begin to be transformed from the inside out. We become equipped to fulfill the purposes God has for us. We are made ready to live a life worthy of the calling we have received!

“Heaven knows no difference between Sunday morning and Wednesday afternoon. God longs to speak as clearly in the workplace as he does in the sanctuary. He longs to be worshiped when we sit at the dinner table and not just when we come to his communion table. You may go days without thinking of him, but there’s never a moment when he’s not thinking of you.”
~Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment

References:

• Alcorn, Randy. Seeing the Unseen, Expanded Edition: A 90-Day Devotional to Set Your Mind on Eternity. Multnomah, 2017.
• DeStefano, Anthony. The Invisible World: Understanding Angels, Demons, and the Spiritual Realities That Surround Us. Kindle ed., Doubleday, 2011.
• Lucado, Max. Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World. Thomas Nelson, 2017.
• Lucado, Max. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. J. Countryman, 2000.
• Ortberg, John. The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People. Zondervan, 2002.

Images:

• Mountain Cross featured image by Felix Merler from Pixabay
• Sunset image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
• Clouds image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay
• Meadow image by beate bachmann from Pixabay
• Galaxy Night image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
• Planet Earth image by Guillaume Preat from Pixabay