Thursday, September 22, 2011

Put on your thinking cap!

I remember my mom and teachers saying that a lot as a kid!

It always sounded funny to me, but now as I am older, I realize how much of our brain we don't use....especially when it comes to God's Word.

This was my devotion today...so good.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  1 Peter 1:13

Your mind is a wonderful thing!  You can memorize life-changing passages of Scripture that can under gird you in your daily life; you can meditate upon God's Word, discovering His magnificent truths; you can discern between truth and falsehood; you can recall God's past blessings.

Some of God's most effective servants were those who disciplined their minds for His service.  Moses, educated in the best schools of Egypt, assembled the books of the Law for the Israelites.  Isaiah used his scholarly mind to write an exalted prophetic book in Scripture.  Paul learned under Gamaliel, the outstanding teacher of his day, and it was through Paul that God presented much of the theology found in the New Testament.

Sadly, may Christians today to not exercise their minds to be of service to God. They allow others to do their spiritual thinking for them. If they can find their theology from a book, they will not bother to study God's Word themselves.  If a speaker makes an authoritative statement, they readily accept it without verifying whether it is biblical.

Paul urged Christians to strive for maturity in their thinking.  He said there was a time when his spiritual thinking was immature, but he had prepared his mind to know and understand the great truths of God.  He had not allowed others to do his thinking for him. When you became a Christian, God renewed your mind. Be certain to use your mind in a way that brings glory to God.

This year God gave me the desire to dig deep into His Word.  I am taking an inductive bible study on Isaiah.  Yes, it's a lot of work and takes quite a bit of time, but oh.my.word....what I am learning.  What better teacher do we have, than God Himself?  

So.....put on your thinking cap!!!
It doesn't matter what kind of student you were/are.....I never was a great student.....God promises to teach us through His Word.....we just have to open it up and dig in!!


5 comments:

LuAnn said...

What a great message you are sending to us.
I have never read much of Isaiah. Will check that book out.
Blessings on your day !

Robin Lambright said...

AMEN sister.....God's word never returns empty.

My study started yesterday and I am already feeling much more centered knowing that I will be on a consistent and steady diet of God's word...oh how weak I am when I am not held accountable....


Blessings
R

Jill from Killeny Glen said...

Sara, this is SO timely for me...I was asking myself..WHY do I believe THAT? WHAT makes me believe THAT particular interpretation...usually because I read it in a commentary or heard a speaker. It was as if a LIGHT went off in my head...LOOK FOR YOURSELF JILL!!!!!! Study for yourself! Why it has taken me SO LONG to do that...I DO NOT KNOW!
:)

Jamie said...

Sara, thanks for the challenge and encouragement to dig a little deeper. I'm embarrassed to say -- all too often I will just ask my husband what he thinks about a scripture rather than digging deeper for myself.

I'm going to put my own thinking cap on ;)

Have a super weekend!

Angie said...

So good! With more time on my hands, I'm enjoying digging a little deeper. Truly worth it!