April 2, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

April 2

I Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

Have you noticed the premium the Word of God puts on being of the same mind? Believers in Jesus Christ are instructed to be of one mind in our churches, with strangers scattered throughout, and even to have the same mind of Christ. This is, of course, the only way for oneness of mind to be accomplished, by putting off our minds and yielding to His mind. Not that we become mindless, quite the contrary, but that our mind would become parallel with Christ’s mind.

Christ suffered for us. He was willing to do so in order for us to obtain eternal life. We too should have that same mind. Willing to suffer, if need be, for the betterment of others. We may not be asked to suffer the physical atrocities that Christ suffered, but all who live for Christ Jesus will suffer in some way. Consider Paul’s admonition in I Corinthians 6:7, Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? The same mind that Christ had about His suffering for us, is the same mind we can have in suffering for others. Here is a perfect example. A driver of a big pickup truck forces his way into the space that your similarly big pickup truck occupies. In doing so, he speeds up, and begins to move into your lane to merge at the last minute as his lane is coming to an end. You have no recourse but to slow down so you’re not sideswiped. But his mirror hits your mirror with a force that tears your mirror off the truck. Upon stopping to deal with this minor mishap, you notice on the tag of that big truck there is a Biblical message on a bumper sticker. He is a brother in Christ on his own admission. Yet, he will not take responsibility, even telling you that you swerved into him to block him and it was your fault. He even says he has it on video. You then ask to see the video and that will settle whose fault it was, to which he confesses that he lied about having a video. To maintain peace between brothers in Christ and keep a good testimony, you simply tell him that as a child of God we should even be willing to be defrauded in cases like this. So, you go on your way and pay to have your own mirror fixed. This is the mind of Christ in action as given to us in Scripture. This is only a minor illustration. The next is real life stuff!

Ralph McCoy was a pioneer missionary to old Mexico. He was faithful to the calling of God, leaving a prosperous career, the safety and comfort of home, and sacrificing to attend a Bible college to prepare his life for the mission field. For many decades he built churches, trained preachers, started several children’s homes, and preached the gospel. His work is still being carried on by family members to the third generation. Brother McCoy suffered the loss of his life in Texas to become a servant of God in Mexico. In so many ways this dear man, who is now with the Lord, is a real-life illustration of having the same mind of Christ. He died to self so that others may live.

May the Lord bless and be pleased with your thought life today.

Dr. William T. Howe