Thought to Ponder: Mind Management
“Above all else, guard your heart.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV

We should be more concerned about managing our minds than managing anything else? Jesus was. He guarded the gateway of His heart by refusing to concede in three areas: (1) The agenda of people who wanted to use Him for their own purposes. “Jesus saw that in their enthusiasm, they were about to grab him and make him king, so he slipped off and went back up the mountain to be by himself” (John 6:15 TM). Most of us would delight in the idea of becoming “king.” Even if we refused the crown, we’d enjoy considering the invitation! Not Jesus. (2) The naïveté of those who wanted to spare Him. When Jesus announced His death on the cross to the disciples, Peter objected. And when he failed to see the necessity of the cross, Jesus issued one of His harshest rebukes: “Get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works” (Matthew 16:23 TM). (3) The scorn of those who didn’t know Him or believe in Him. Before raising a girl from the dead, Jesus said to the people in the house, “She is only sleeping” (Luke 8:52 GNT). And what was their response? They laughed at Him. Like all of us, Jesus had to face scorn. But unlike most of us, He refused to accept it. Note His response: “He put them all outside” (Mark 5:40 RSV). Doubt, criticism and scorn weren’t allowed in the girl’s house—or in the mind of Christ. How about your mind? (By bob gass)