The Greatest Commandment – Mind – a fresh brewed faith

Bounce…bounce…bounce.

These would be my thoughts at midnight…2:30 a.m. …4:15 a.m. …

Do you ever feel like your thoughts are constantly running wild and robbing you of your focus and peace?

*This post contains affiliate links.*

I do. Like a hundred times a day. So if this is you, you are SO not alone.

This is the fourth post in my Weekly Brew Devotional Series, The Greatest Commandment, so today let’s talk about loving God with all our minds.

Here’s what we’re looking at…

How can I possibly love the Lord my God with all my mind when don’t even have five seconds to myself during the day, much less focus on any one thing at night?

Well honestly, most days I can’t. At least not on my own.

I’d like to couple this Scripture with another — from II Corinthians 10:5 —

…and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Taking captive every thought seems like an awfully large task when I’m thinking about the pile of dirty dishes in the sink, my daughter’s tumbling class in an hour, church nursery duty on Sunday, and what I could possibly make for dinner with Italian dressing and two hot dogs.

But taking something captive requires resolve, doesn’t it?

“Captive” literally means a prisoner or slave. If we’re going to take our own thoughts captive, we first have to take ownership and control of them.

Loving God with our whole minds means that we have to acknowledge our negative, non-God-honoring thoughts as sinful. Which is super tough. But when I lay aside my pride and admit it, it’s much easier to proceed…

and give them over to God.

Consciously.

On purpose.

With resolve.

Negative, sinful, non-God-honoring thoughts are heavy. Just think about how a worry or a grudge against someone can weigh on you! Taking every thought captive, and giving it over to him for his glory can actually set me free from the negativity and sin, and set me on a path towards loving him more fully – with my whole mind.

Lord, I have to own up to the fact that my mind isn’t always where it should be. When those negative, sinful thoughts are bouncing through my head like unruly tennis balls spilled out of a hopper, help me to gather them up – on purpose – and lay them down at your feet. Help me surrender my thoughts to you, so that my mind can love you more wholly.

In your name, Lord, Amen.

If you liked this post, don’t forget to come back next week for The Greatest Commandment – Strength.