November 2, 2007

• Bible Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14, Part 2: What Do We Mind?

  In the first chapter of Ephesians the apostle Paul writes of the greatest and most glorious blessings anyone can have--those spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. (See Ephesians 1:3-14, Part 1: A Treasure Trove of Blessings.)

  Matthew Henry reminds us "we should hence learn to mind spiritual and heavenly things as the principal things, spiritual and heavenly things as the best blessings, with which we cannot be miserable and without which we cannot but be so. Set not your affections on things on the earth, but on those things which are above."(1)

  We don't usually use the word "mind" as Henry did. I looked it up in the dictionary(2) and here is some of what I found:

  mind

  1. to direct one's mind to; specif., a) to perceive; observe; b) to pay attention to; heed c) to obey d) to attend to; apply oneself to (a task, etc.) e) to tend; take care; of; watch over; look after, to pay attention to [mind the baby] f) to be careful about; watch out for [mind those rickety stairs] ...

  2. a) to care about; feel concern about  ...

  I'm not quite sure how Henry intended the word "mind" to be taken, but I think those definitions give us a lot to chew on, or to mind, so to speak. For example, I never would have thought of minding spiritual and heavenly things in the same way as minding a baby, yet doesn't that give us a great picture of what it means to mind those blessings? When a baby is brought into a room, the baby instantly becomes the center of attention. We ooo and awe over her. All eyes go to the baby. We want to find out about the baby--what's her name, when was she born, how old is she, etc. We ask to hold the baby. And when we are given a baby to mind, we don't leave the baby alone. We devote all our energy and attention to caring for that baby. We are responsible to protect, nurture, feed and care for the baby. We don't neglect the baby. We don't leave the baby "home alone." I'm not sure if that's quite what Henry intended but I find it helpful. When I begin no longer minding those best blessings, I would appreciate a Pez friend telling me, "Karen, you've forgotten to mind the baby."

  I certainly could continue to run with what "to mind" means, but now I'm going to press on in a slightly different, albeit related, direction...

  Here are some questions we might ask to help us evaluate what things we mind as the principal things:

  Do I continue to praise and thank God for the spiritual blessings in Christ He has showered upon me or do I take these blessings for granted?

  What kind of blessings do I seek from God?

  Do I seek God's blessings ahead of seeking God?

  On what do I set my affections: on things above or things on the earth?

  On what do I spend myself: on things above or things on the earth?

  Do I mind the "spiritual and heavenly things," those "best blessings" as the principal things?

  Do I pray more for "spiritual and heavenly things" than for material and earthly ones? (3)

  I have been thinking about how I can seek first God's Kingdom and how I can hallow His Name. One indication of how much I am seeking God's kingdom and hallowing His name is to ask if I am minding "spiritual and heavenly things as the principal things." As I look at my prayers, I can get a pretty good idea of whose kingdom I am seeking and whose name I am seeking to hallow and if I am truly minding "spiritual and heavenly things as the principal things." Our prayers are a litmus test of whose kingdom we seek and whose name we hallow and what we are really minding as the principal things. As we examine our prayers, we can see if our hearts and minds are set on things above or on things on the earth. Where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. Do we treasure spiritual blessings or do we treasure earthly blessings?

  I found this card lying outside the local convenience store. Do You Want More Money?

  When asked the question, "Do you want ______?" we could fill in the blank with a multitude of answers. The way we answer this question answers the question "What do we truly treasure?" We will do all we can to obtain whatever we treasure regardless of the cost to us. Where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also.
  
  
  The questions Jesus keeps asking us are "Do you want more of Me? Do you treasure Me?"

  More of Jesus means less of me. More of Jesus means my selfish will and desires take a back seat to His will and His desires. To want more Jesus means we will mind spiritual and heavenly things as the principal things. The heart that wants more of Jesus will be set on things above not on things on the earth. Do we treasure Jesus?

  Recently I blabbered out to a couple sisters in Christ the following questions we could be asking ourselves to help us examine our prayers. (Thanks, you two, for continuing to give ear to my somewhat random stream of consciousness ideas and not throwing dodge balls at me as I go on and on....)

  What am I praying for? (We can't examine our prayers until we know what we're praying for, right?)

  Why am I praying for this?

  The next day I took out my notebook and I made two columns:

  "What Do I Want?"                                           "What Does God Want?"
  (generally what I have been praying)                 
  

  
  As I reviewed the items under the "What Do I Want?" column, I considered the following questions:
  

  
  Will this prayer glorify Him?

  Will this prayer hallow His name?

  Does this prayer seek his Kingdom purposes?

  It wasn't long before God began to strip away the veneer on top of my prayers to reveal an ugliness and sinfulness underneath them.

  I rewrote my "What Do I Want?" list on another paper and burnt it. God was showing me that those "wants" of mine were so out of line with God's Kingdom purposes and God's glory, so far from hallowing His Holy Name. So far from treasuring Jesus. I was not only seeking material blessings but nothing close to spiritual ones and my requests were all so self-centered. For example: "I want this for my comfort." "I want this so I might be vindicated." "I want this so I might be affirmed." "I want this so I can be more secure." Oh, that I could set my affections on things above and mind God's "spiritual and heavenly blessings" and treasure Christ above all things.

  The following day I went back and looked at the two columns again and asked myself the following questions:

  What are the intents and motives behind the prayers in the "What Do I Want?" column?

  What type of heart intents and motives would help me to pray the prayers in the "What does God Want?" column?

  My intents and motives behind the prayers in the "What Do I Want?" column centered on a lack of trust in God in particular areas of my life. Do I trust my God--the King of kings and Lord of lords, Lord of hosts, Lord of heaven and earth, Jehovah-Jireh, the God who sees, the LORD, God Almighty, the Creator God, the Holy One of Israel, my Redeemer--the God who is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace--do I trust my Father in all circumstances and in all places and at all times to provide for me in His way and His time what He deems is best for me? Sadly, I must confess that I often do not.

  Too often my faith wavers and wobbles like jello instead of being immovable and unshakeable like a rock. Yet God has given me no reason to distrust or doubt Him. "If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" I still find myself doubting God's sovereign grace and goodness--His providence, promises, plan, purposes, power and provision. As a result my "What Do I Want?" column often bears no resemblance to my "What Does God Want?" column. No wonder I find myself "miserable," as Henry said. ("...we should hence learn to mind spiritual and heavenly things as the principal things, spiritual and heavenly things as the best blessings, with which we cannot be miserable and without which we cannot but be so.")

  I find myself asking "Why God? Why me?" instead of trusting God's good providence.

  I find myself despairing and doubting instead of resting in God's enduring promises.

  I find myself scheming and manipulating instead of resting in God's sovereign plan.

  I find myself fretting and frustrated instead of resting in God's perfect purposes.

  I find myself working in my own flesh rather than resting in God's mighty power.

  I find myself worrying and discontent instead of resting in God's timely provision.

  Are we seeking our own and not the things which are of Jesus Christ? (Philippians 2:21)

  Happy then those whom God takes away from their own will to attach to his own! Those whom God is pleased to chain with his own hands are as free and happy, as those who chain themselves by their passions are miserable. In this apparent captivity, they can no longer do what they wish. So much the better. They do from morning to night against their inclinations, what God wants them to do. He holds them bound hand and foot by the lines of his will. Whenever leaves them a single moment to themselves. He is jealous of this tyrannous "I," which wants all for itself.(4)

  David Brainerd (5) wrote, "My soul groans, to see the hours of the day roll away, because I do not fill them in spirituality and heavenly mindedness."

  Father, rid me of this tyrannous "I," take me away from my own will and attach me to Your will. Help me "learn to mind spiritual and heavenly things as the principal things, spiritual and heavenly things as the best blessings, with which [I] cannot be miserable and without which [I] cannot but be so." Help me treasure Jesus and seek the things which are of Jesus Christ.

  ---

  Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  (1) Matthew Henry, "Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible: Ephesians 1."

  (2) "Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language: Second College Edition" (NY: Simon & Schuster, 1982).

  (3)  It's not wrong to pray for material needs since we are flesh and blood and we have material needs. For example, we see that one portion of the Lord's prayer is "Give us this day our daily bread" (which can mean physical as well as spiritual bread). And we see Jesus concerned with tending to the physical as well as spiritual needs of those around him. My point, however, is that so often so many of my prayers and thoughts revolve around my own material needs and desires, and very often my desire for material needs goes far beyond, "Give me this day my daily bread."

  (4) François de Salignac de La Mothe Fenélon, "Christian Perfection" (Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, Dimension Books, 1975 edition by arrangement with Harper & Row), 13-14.

  (5) Jonathan Edwards, "The Life and Diary of David Brainerd," April 22, 1743.

  
  

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